The Scooby Gang Book 1 Third Draft
by rocky-griffin-az
Summary: This is a per-crossover, BtVS is the primary and there is some scattered vague references to SG1, but too vague to ever truly know. The Powers become corrupt and seem to think it would be best if the The Scooby would just die so they send everything they can at them. Multiships with sex so be warned. The second draft was posted on June 3, 2012.
1. 1: The First Unexpected Changes

The Scooby Gang

Book I: Buffy vs. Powers

Disclaimer: I have no property rights to any published or copyrighted material that is reserved to those that make money from ideas which I do not.

Summery: This is the first book in a series. This takes place in a Buffy-Parallel verse that things happened a bit differently than they did in Cannon.

Warning: Multi Ship M/FFF ahead!

CHAPTER 1: The First Unexpected Changes

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Sunnydale, CA - 1997

Buffy was franticly knocking on Angel's door. She'd woken not even five minutes ago from a rather strange dream. She'd rushed here now because she knew it was a slayer's dream. She wasn't sure how she knew but she knew and it was scaring her something fierce.

In her dream Drusilla the Insane wished her a happy birthday, _**'Happy for Drusilla, maybe!'**_

Of course this was moments before the insane vampire stuck a stake into the back of her boyfriend and all the bream Buffy could do was watch as he slowly and painfully turned to dust. She closed her eyes tightly as she knocked again; she really didn't want to think about it.

'_**It's something I won't allow to happen, ever!' **_That was of course why she needed to see him now. She had to make sure he was alright now and this wasn't something that happened in real life last night, that and to make sure he was going to be extra careful from now on.

Angel shouted from beyond the door, "Hold on!"

It wasn't but a moment later that he opened the door and gone was the grumpy Gus that had been brooding moments before; he smiled brightly, "Hey!"

That was before he smelt her fear and noticed her worried expression; he pulled her into his arms on instinct and pulled her into the apartment.

Concerned he asks into the hug, "Is everything alright?"

She sniffled close to tears. Worry still lacing her voice as she'd made an effort to remove her panic, "That's what I was going to ask you. You're alright, right?"

Angel smiled a bit, then trying to sound both reassuring and worried over his love's mental state he confirms, "Of course I'm alright. Now," he said firmly but still with concern, "What's wrong?"

She fidgeted her hormones distracting her from the situation in the dream; now that she knew he was alright her body was telling her she needed release from the tension that had built up. Seeing her state Angel pulls her towards the bed which wasn't helping her hormones.

"It…" she tried, "It was a dream, a slayer dream." She barely managed that out.

He took a breath of concern and that seemed to help her fortify herself to share, "I dreamt you got dusted" her voice broke and the hormones seemed to vanish for just a moment.

It was all she'd needed and her voice took on a Willow-babble, "It all started in the bronze you see. Willow was like speaking French to some monkey but I didn't like understand her at all, then I was home instead of the bronze and my mom asked me if was ready, and then I was with you. I don't know where it was but it might have been some kind of warehouse, and you were there, and so was Drusilla, and then that bitch staked you in the back. I couldn't do anything at all; just watch you as you crumbled to dust in front me."

She had tears on her cheeks now and she sniffled as she muttered on unintelligibly. He'd pulled her into a hug and she held on for dear life as though he was going to turn to dust if she let go. He rubbed her back with concern. It wasn't even completely selfish concern; after all she'd just told him a vision of his death. It was one of the few embraces that held no sexual inclination about it.

She stated to tell him more, this time she was talking a bit slower, "It was a really slow dusting, I mean the stake went in fast but you dusted slow and you had your hands out to me and I'm not sure if you hand them in your hand or on your fingers but you had these rings." She frowns, "I think you were wearing them and I've never seen you wearing rings before." She pulled out of the hug and grabbed his hand and looked for confirmation, _**'No rings!'**_

Lost in thought, still holding his hand she describes the ring, in detail. "This one had a heart in the middle like…" she shivered with some unseen joy mixed with a desire not to think about losing him. "I don't want to talk about it. It's not real;" she said before adding petulantly, "I won't let that crazy bitch vampire stake you."

Angel smiled, despite the worry he had. Not that he'd let it show but he was indeed worried over the slayer dream. Her tone was funny because it was as though she could command the world.

He reached into his pocked and pulled out the item he was hoping to give her for her birthday. He knew she wasn't Irish like he was, that time was long ago but he was a person bound by tradition.

"Is this the ring you saw in the dream?" he asks softly showing it to her.

She had a worried expression on her face as she took in the ring. "One of them" she asks, taking it in her hands and looking curiously at it. She wondered idly, _**'Why isn't he wearing it?'**_ or perhaps it wasn't quite idle so much as she was just trying to distract herself from bursting into more tears.

Mumbling, mostly for her own benefit, she was trying to get away from the thought of why he didn't have it on like the dream and away from the horrid dream, "It, it's beautiful."

Angel softly told her, "My people…" He pauses adding, "Before I was turned, they exchanged this ring as a sign of devotion, of love. It's called a _claddagh ring_. The hands represent friendship, the crown represents loyalty, and the heart, well, you know. Wear it with the heart pointing towards you. It means you belong to somebody." He reaches over and puts it on her finger, "Like this."

She smiles slightly but her happiness gave way to worry. "How did…" she looked at him.

Her worry and confusion was plane as day to Angel. "In the dream that you were wearing it, I thought there was a second ring."

He shrugged. "There are ways to interpret that, perhaps I shouldn't give this to you, it may be that your dream was saying if I gave it to you I wouldn't be here anymore because of Dru." The crazy vampire's name was said with utter guilt and worry.

He shrugged, "Maybe you should talk to Giles before you wear it, talk to him first thing alright?"' he offered and she looked confused so he told her, "He's more up on the portents that regard slayers."

She nodded and kissed him deeply holding the ring tightly, not wanting to give it back, but not having it on yet. Her thoughts were that maybe if she didn't take it that he'd have it and that would cause him to give it to her while he was dusting. She wasn't giving it back.

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In the ether realm, the PTBs were upset. They had tried to make the champions and pawns align with other realms that were where the 'good guys win' but it didn't seem to be working right.

Grudle spoke to other two there. "The slayer was not supposed to consider the dream; her hormones were supposed to overcome her concern."

"Yes," Jasmine agreed, "we'd planned to have her reassured that the vampire wouldn't perish."

Yutide's expression or tone of voice to the other two was agreeable, "It is vital to our plans; she not take the damnable warning from Sienna too seriously."

"We have long since given up on the desire to eliminate the Slayer's dreams." Jasmine said disgruntled. "We have some minor control over the demonic influence in the essence of the Slayer but this slayer has passed the demonic essence on and only the changes and Sienna's influence remain."

Grudle snarled, "The blood demon has aligned with the soul against us on this. The detail the slayer put forth was too much for his demon to dismiss as frivolous worry. The demon has not previously taken sides with its influence allowing us a greater leeway to place the vampire pawn where we wish it and to do what we desire."

Yutide's insistence was shared emotionally as his voice sounded to the other two, "The scrying board shows change. The Chaotic spectrum is altering; the realm's disorder is increasing. This is not acceptable, we need to either eliminate the players or control our champions."

"Agreed, but is it too late?" said Grudle.

Jasmine, ever the manipulator decided to play on that fear and buy some time to complete her plans, "Only time will show this." She said and added with a reminder of their limits, "Even we are bound by space and time."

Grudle almost smiled; "The next four plays are crucial!" he reminded the other two.

His attention turned to Yutide, "Has the Romany clan sent their arbitrator? The spy's uncle is to make sure she is informed of the loophole."

Grudle disliked all Romany and their penchant to interfere with plans, but this Romany was worse and had been a thorn in their side for some time. Grudle wanted her to know of her failure and feel as though she'd betrayed those she cared about before she died.

Yutide nodded, or sent the emotion that was equated with a human nod. "Yes he was sent but as you know, the Romany is a tricky bunch and are not easily swayed or perceived by our kind."

Grudle was upset but wasn't going to blamed Yutide, "Very well I will set up the contingencies in case the next four plays fail."

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The plan they'd had was for the slayer to visit Willow before classes started which would sow sexual frustration spreading impatience along side a carnal desire to the witch. If it had worked to plan then this would have geared the witch to have a subtle impatience and sexual frustration allowing her actions to be altered in such a way as to be more of a direct influence.

Buffy hadn't followed the plan instead she'd taken Angel's advice. She was now waiting for her Watcher in the library. This little detail was missed by the PTBs at the moment as they saw overall movements of their champions instead of details with their cause and effects. They might have noticed the details a bit more clearly thru the fog of chaos, if they hadn't been so vexed over the board shifting from the simple slayer dream which interfered with the plan.

Buffy was smiling ever so slightly while she thought—_**'Is he in the bathroom or with Miss Calendar in her classroom?'**_

She repressed a giggle; the thoughts weren't actually funny so much but warm and nice. She couldn't help but add a humorous addition to those nice thoughts, _**'I wouldn't interrupt him in either place, just to save my sanity.'**_

Her smile widened at that a laugh below the surface as she quantified that thought, _**'At least not without an apocalypse that was too impatient to wait.'**_

Her fluffy thoughts were interrupted by Giles's surprised voice; his voice carried more with a single word than most questions, "Buffy?"

Buffy was distracted as she fingered the ring he asked, thinking it was from a vampire. "What is that you have?" He was sort of right but wrong on how she got it, outside of a dream that is. "Is it something I need to look at?"

Buffy was amused for a moment but when she spoke her amusement was replaced with sadness, "Angel gave it to me this morning."

"Yes well," he sounded uncomfortable, "It is common that when two people are in a re…"

Before she could get her Watcher's version of _The Talk_, _**'Or is it the birds and the bees?'**_ she cut him off solidly with a small amount of panic, "Giles!"

He stopped and looked relieved.

She continues with a normal less panicking voice, "He had planned on giving it to me later, but I had a dream and described it to him before seeing it. He said I should talk to you about it."

He widened his eyes, never before had he had such a clear confirmation of a slayer's prescience, "Oh dear," he said grabbing a legal pad from the counter and a pen from cup, "A slayer dream, then." Sitting at the table he turns to her and says, "Tell the dream, and despite the delicate nature, leave nothing out even if it was…" he looked a nauseated, "intimate."

Buffy smiled at the expression on her Watcher's face and shared with him the dream, starting in the Bronze, her mother, the end with Drusilla and Angel; the latter slowly dusting allowing the rings falling into her hands before he was completely dust.

He nods, "I am unsure but I see a particular order of things in the dream, the dream may or may not tell you of his actual demise but instead of an attack on your affections and thus on the part of Angel that is an ally."

She almost shrieked, "Part of Angel?"

"There are three personas in the apex of the dream. Before that there is Willow, the monkey, and your mother. But at the pinnacle, it's you, Drusilla who was Angelus' child, and Angel. The fact is that you and Drusilla are strong representatives of the two sides of Angel; the demon and the soul, and there were two rings…" he gestures to the ring in her hand, "the soul's and the demon's."

She nodded and he shrugged. "The mother figure is asking you if you are ready." He pauses, "I would wager that she is meaning for motherhood, adulthood, or a sex life."

He polished his glasses, "I would say that rest is a broader spectrum, Willow with a monkey, well that maybe that you are seeing Xander in a role of similar standing. Monkeys are easily controlled, or trained, primates. Perhaps you see that Willow with Xander is similar to a trainer and monkey."

She blanched and stayed quiet.

"Whenever the slayer dreams crop up the stronger the emotional ties to the dream the more danger those from the dream are in. The more impact the dream has personally the more attention the dream should merit."

"So because Angel died in the dream" she asks, "it is really important but doesn't mean that it's foretelling Angel's death?"

"Precisely, however the fact that of you three, you and Drusilla remained when the dream was ending; and she mentioned your birthday… Whatever is to happen is likely to happen on your birthday and because she was the one that ended Angel in the dream I would say she is likely to use the demonic… she may have found a way to eliminate the soul or it's control over Angel."

She started to stand up and growls, "That would be a bad thing,"

Giles nods agreement, "Yes, however looking at the dream overall… I would say the rings have a, large to do, impact on what the demon uses to overcome the soul. I'm still at a loss as to how. I will speak with Willow and perhaps we can research the magic that would be involved with a soul curse and try and find how they utilized it in the past."

Buffy nods then asks her Watcher, "What about Willow and the monkey?"

Giles smiles ever so slightly before he barbs, "Perhaps you should think about that." His smile turns into a smirk. "Influencing other's relationship may turn them, metaphorically that is, into monkeys."

Buffy glares at her smug Watcher, she knew he was saying the dream was likely to be saying BUT-OUT when it came to Willow and Xander's relationship. She couldn't help it she liked her friends to be happy. With a sigh she nods acquiesce.

Giles hadn't missed the way the slayer had almost played with Xander and then pushed him at Willow; it was a control thing that he saw all too often in his youth.

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Spike was sitting in his wheelchair, Dru was in his lap. He had his hand under her dress and she was moaning.

Dalton, a fairly young formerly intelligent human now a rather lame vampire minion, came strolling in with a large box, he told him, "Spike, I have your package."

Spike ignored him with his attention save for shouting out an order to leave it on the table with the others. Dru finally reaches her climax and gets off Spike leaving him in his wheelchair. "Dru pet, are you sure you want this party here with the slayer still around, wouldn't it be better in Vienna?"

"Invitations are already sent my little Spike" she said with a whine to her voice.

"It's just this Hellmouth feels off, nothing goes right anymore!" He whined. This damn wheelchair was crimping his credibility with the minions and he was really worried that Dru would attract the attention of the slayer and he wouldn't be able to protect her or bag the slayer.

"My parties all go right little Spike" she said reaching down and undoing his trousers, "Remember Spain and the bulls" she said. He was loose and she engulfed him in her mouth; he was not as in control of the lower body as he was when he was well but he had enough control to prevent premature ejaculation.

He grabbed her, picking her up and pulling her to him and himself halfway out of the wheelchair. He didn't bother removing her panties as they were still slid to the left from his previous fun, she squealed as she was slammed down.

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Jasmine, a PTB with personal long-term plans, was now groaning. She'd planned on using the other's plans to further her own agenda. Manipulating the others was fairly easy to do. Their arrogance knew no bounds and it was easy to hide her plans within their own designs. That was all but lost now and she was not a happy camper. She looked at her own scrying portal, it was not a scrying board because it only showed a single area of the board; it was one of the few things she had that were hers and hers alone.

Jasmine was watching Cordelia easily on the scrying portal as she was doing similar things to Xander as the Board showed Drusilla doing to Spike. The human couple was limited to using their hands at this stage. It was a shame that this added energy in their relationship had gone to waste; a small little inconsequential step in limiting potential of divergence within the added pawn had been skipped.

It was an ingenious plan, using the others influence on the slayer to be impatient and sexually craved would have spilled over easily and Willow would strengthen her relationship with Oz. Now that relationship was destined to fade to nothing, quickly, and without so much as a spark. Without that spark Oz wouldn't be helping them deal with the Judge, at all and therefore wouldn't hone his relationship with Willow.

She'd even worked extra hard to ensure the soon to be wolf was tested properly to ensure he was introduced privately with Willow as a nerd and that he took a shot to save her. She pushed emotions into all of them even now with a vain hope that if other pieces still played out this would somehow still work. She had no idea that working the wildcard would be so chaotic and frustrating.

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Despite Giles's reassurance, Buffy was worried about her dream. In the dream her mother's words followed by the shattering of the plate had actually occurred in real life and it had been like a sucker punch from a demon to the breast plate. She just couldn't shake the feeling that it was going to happen and that didn't preclude some hidden yet to be realized meaning of the dream.

She'd run upstairs quickly without saying a word to her mother. Joyce thought her daughter was upset about not getting her learners permit. She had no idea of how much more serious this was. She'd never know as the plans that were in place for her life were being altered even more then they would have been if the 'plan' was followed.

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Grudle stated the obvious to the others, "Two of the four pieces have failed!"

Yutide observed the others, "I am sending word to the beast on where the key is located and sending word to the monks to go ahead with their embodiment spells." He stated this as if he'd just ordered a missile strike. His next words were said with a growl. "The surfacing of Glorificus will serve **our** needs now. She will go home and out of our hair while the _Scooby Gang,"_ he sneered at the name, "will cease to be."

The other two looked at each other.

Jasmine agreed, "We need to see to this" before adding her own little twist. "I believe however that our plans for the vampire are salvageable. The plans are still on track, at least partially. Instead of sending him to hell, we can do the re-ensoulment following the death of the group. That will hit him the hardest and ensure that he has the link to humanity that was originally planned for." There was slyness to the PTB that the others missed.

Grudle agreed, "The plan is forgone but the vampire is in numerous tomes, it is unlikely the prophecy breaker will wish to save him, especially if he has a need to worry over someone else." He said glancing at Cordelia Chase.

Jasmine almost cringed and shouted but didn't, calmly she said "Provided he can save her."

With the PTBs making plans and quibbling over distractions and the love lives of the pawns, they completely missed the small triggers they'd set to notify them of when the Romany Elder, or Arbitrator as they'd called him, arrived on the Hellmouth.

If they were looking they wouldn't have understood what little they did see, aside from their contact and his arrival. The plays on the board changing would take weeks or months for them to be able to determine what had occurred between the two Romany, but they could've easily pushed a flooding of emotions that would no doubt ensure certain actions. This had been what Jasmine had planned.

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Jenny Calendar, also known as Janna Kalderash, was in her classroom. She was working late on a few 'personal' things she needed to handle alone. She wasn't too worried, it was not yet dark out, but she still jumped when a voice sounded from the shadows.

Her Uncle Enyos's voice coolly intones, "Jenny Calendar!"

Looking at him accusingly she says, "You startled me!"

He smiled slightly and when he spoke his accent held a very Romany pronunciation, it is reminiscent of a second rate Dracula movie, "You look well."

She sighed as that was a bit too obvious of a reprimand to not answer to, "I know I have been busy of late, but I have written."

His response is harsh and accusatory, "I cannot imagine what has been so important as to keep you from your duty."

Janna was not corralled by his harshness; she managed to starve off the fear that had naturally developed with righteous indignation. If the PTBs had been watching for this as planed they'd be flooding her emotions at this point. This would have engineered a totally different outcome. She would have not only had the blossoming of fear but the feeling of failure and guilt. It would have been enough to curve her tongue.

Instead her righteous anger spilled over with fury. "I have been ensuring vengeance on the beast and saving the world; what have been doing uncle?"

Her voice started to mimic his accent as she sneers condescendingly, "Sitting around waiting for the elder woman to read the signs so you can direct someone else in the tribe to fulfill our tribe's duties?"

He looked takenaback and actually stepped back into the safety of the shadows, he might be an elder but that just meant he was smart enough to know when not to anger a woman into a righteous fervor.

"The Curse still holds," she stated, "I have seen to that; however I have also had the soul's choices save my own soul and existence from being consumed by an elder demon."

He mutters just loud enough for her to hear, "The elder woman is never wrong" and glares at her from the shadows. "She says the curse is weakening."

She sighs and asks glancing at the computer, "Why would the curse weaken after all this time?"

"The beast's pain is lessening." Enyos stated as though it was obvious.

She frowned, thinking on that, _**'Demons like Angelus found love disgusting, why would…'**_

"The beast?" she asks then qualifies the other option, "Or the soul?"

The sudden realization hit like a freight train.

"It maters not" he said scornfully. "They are one and the same." His tone was dismissive of any other idea than what he'd stated.

"No uncle, they are not!" she stated with clarity, harshness, and a bit of contempt. "If the beast is the demon, then the soul is his punishment. It is our duty to ensure the soul is punishing the demon to the fullest of its capability."

Enyos was surprised but nodded that made a twisted sort of living sense; vengeance was a living thing after all. "Tell me then" he commanded her, "Why is the curse waning? Why is the beast no longer suffering?"

The response from Janna had him almost returning to the shadow completely as if he could pull it around him like protective blanket and perhaps he could.

Janna spat on the floor with a sneer, "Because, curse them; they cursed the soul with the curse instead of the demon."

Enyos eyes widened as the realization rammed into him from her. Like he was suddenly no longer blind and could almost weep for the short sightedness that blinded that generation from committing true vengeance.

"Vampires thrive on misery." She needlessly told him. "If the pain is weakening now, now that the soul has found love and acceptance by a group who saves the world and destroys vampires, then it is not the demon within that is no longer feeling the pain. No not the demon but the soul. This said then the soul must be slowly overcoming the taint of the demon."

She glared at him, not quite blaming him. He wouldn't have blamed her if she blamed this on him; Enyos had never thought to question the vengeance.

"Tell me what the loophole is." She demanded. "Tell me what exactly holds the curse together. I have been trying to interpret the original curse for weeks."

Enyos blinked and came around to see the computer screen. Sure enough the curse was on the screen and in the old language. There were several phonetic words under it.

With a wide smile he asked, "This is what has been taking up your time?"

'_**Vengeance is indeed in her blood.'**_ He thought with utter pride.

She nods admittance then explains her thoughts, "To a vampire, the worst thing that it can feel is helplessness in its own corpse; to have little to no influence and no control. Of course every bit of love and kindness the soul shows for others will make the demon feel utter turmoil, disgust, and self loathing. The stronger the demon the more it loathes these things. I wish to know the link to why the curse is only weakening its hold now and why the demon's power in increasing. Please tell me Enyos."

"The anchor for the curse is tied to guilt." He said with a sigh. "If the vampire feels a moment of utterly perfect happiness it will sever the tie to the demon and be released to the afterlife."

She closed her eyes. "Help me with this." She commanded and he blinked, she went back around the chair. "This here means what?"

The next hour the elder man helped interpret the curse and to his shock helped his strong willed young niece put together another curse layered on the old one, which would sway the power and hurt the beast.

Enyos was smiling when he finished working with Janna. He tells her with a proud smile, "I will see to it that the casters cast this curse upon him as soon as I return."

He found that she understood vengeance, perhaps better than he.

"I would hurry uncle." She said voicing her own concern. He nodded and left by shadow travel with the PTBs never noticing his arrival or departure.

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	2. 2: Suprise! Suprise! Suprise!

The Scooby Gang

Book I: Buffy vs. Powers

Disclaimer: I have no property rights to any published or copyrighted material that is reserved to those that make money from ideas which I do not.

Summery: This is the first book in a series. This takes place in a Buffy-Parallel verse that things happened a bit differently than they did in Cannon.

Warning: Multi Ship M/FFF ahead!

CHAPTER 2: Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!

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The group was forming up in the library, it was early morning and Buffy was sitting next to Willow sharing about her dream, and how it came true, or at least part of it. She explained how her mother broke the plate just like the dream and even Giles found himself doubting the Watcher's of the past and it greatly disturbed him that the event in her dream that lead to precipice of the apex came true to such a degree. Usually slayers dreams hid the foresight too much to see exact events. He would make a note of it.

Xander comes in and smiles widely, "Hey, if it's the woman of the hour!" His voice was laden with an exaggerated cheerful.

Buffy smiles slightly and looks down. It was a sad becoming happy though, _**'Xander has always been able to cheer me up, a bit at least.'**_

Willow hugs the slayer and goes around to sit by Xander as if trying to show her a united front on the battle against gloominess.

Willow cheers "Happy birthday, Buffy!" But her fount of cheerfulness did little to battle against the gloom and doom of her recent dream caused moodiness.

Xander notices her mood and lack of action so asks the room as a whole, "Not a happy birthday?"

Giles spoke up. "It's just a frightening dream Buffy had the other night; part of it has actually come to pass."

Buffy whined as she started to tell him, "Which also means that Drusilla might be after Angel."

Xander groans inaudibly.

"It doesn't necessarily mean that she will succeed." Giles told Buffy firmly. "You've had other dreams such as the master rising again and we prevented that."

Xander agreed and quipped, "Ground his bones to make your bread."

"That's true!" Buffy nodded before her face shifted to a comically amused but disgusted look and she couldn't help but add a qualifier, "Except the bread part!"

Xander smiles the ploy worked and helped to lighten her up. Buffy stood and started to pace the room almost like a caged lion.

"So we're one step ahead! The dreams are a warning of what might be, not something set in stone." She stopped mid-step and turns to face her Watcher, "I want to keep it that way."

Giles stands up a bit taller before nodding with firmness, "Absolutely, I will endeavor to read up on Drusilla, outline any patterns she has, and have when we meet tonight! Say seven this evening?"

Buffy nods before she whines, "What am I suppose to do until then?"

With a smile the Watcher offers oh so helpful advice, "Go to class!" He then, with a subtle sarcasm that was only known because his British accent became more pronounced, he adds, "Do your homework! Perhaps you might consumer an evening meal?"

Xander smirks at the elder male's zinger and adds his salt to the wound, "If you want to skip school, Buffy?" He grins when she turns to him with a hopeful expression at the idea of skipping school. "You might visit Deadboy. You can see what he knows about this Drusilla." Realizing what he was recommending Xander amends it, "Or I suppose you could wait until after school and then bring him with you tonight."

Giles looks to Xander with some shock that he'd recommend Buffy visiting the vampire Angel. The boy wasn't one to usually recommend the two spend any time together.

Buffy smiled slightly it wasn't the first time Xander had offered up his acceptance to the vampire but he didn't do it too often. For Xander's part, he knew he was at his limit of ability to make the slayer happy but Angel might be able to. Buffy smiled and nodes as she left to go to class.

Seeing her go Xander's smile vanishes and coldness etches his voice, "That is NOT a perky birthday puppy!"

Giles looked at the boy curiously. The demeanor change had been a bit too reminiscent of Ripper verses Giles. He was about to comment on that fact but was interrupted.

Willow's moaning pout shows her disappointment, "So much for a surprise party tonight… and I got little cute hats too."

Xander sighed dejectedly, "I'll let Cordy know the whole thing's off."

That was enough to distract Giles from Xander's inner Ripper. "Oh no we don't. We're going to have this party, tonight!"

Xander turns and slowly walks back looking carefully at Giles. With a mock seriousness the boy throws his voice to the side where Willow is, "You look like Mr. Caution." He focuses a bit closer to the Watcher, inspecting his attire, "The tweed isn't wrinkly." With a mock frowned he turns his face to Willow

Willow's smiling at the antics.

Xander hits the punchline of the small joke, "However the sound is slightly off."

The joke wasn't all that funny but held a sophisticate air of irony. Willow nodded her agreement to Giles; he was acting a bit off. Giles can only sigh because he'd enjoyed the humor and found it quite amusing but refused to allow it to show for fear that it might encourage the boy in his quest of being witty.

Giles informs them with his typical British firmness, "Buffy's surprise party will continue as planned!" He looks squarely at Willow, "But I will not be donning a _party hat_."

Willow flushes at the tone before she asks, "What about Angel and Buffy?"

Willow had known that they'd be arriving at the school rather then the bronze as was planned previously. The fact that she and Angel were still in danger might lead to an alteration of the plan.

Giles gives a nod of agreement. She'd altered the subject of the conversation giving no comment on anyone's decision concerning party hats. He was sure Xander was going to ask about them but instead the young man offers up an opinion on Buffy and Angel, "They may still be in danger."

Giles glances at the young man that was recently showing more surprises than he'd ever expected from the young lad. "You are the last one to outright defy a prophecy successfully. You were also rather helpful when Buffy had her last prophetic dream. It may be that is was your assistance or council which thwarted the slayer vision on that occasion. I know that you dislike Angel but I'm asking you to keep an eye on him as often as you can."

Giles looked at Xander pointedly, "I'm not asking this so that you can catch him out, but so as to prevent any harm that might befall him, for Buffy."

Xander groans before giving the watcher a glared. All pretence of humor previously shown was absent from Xander's face. Unlike the earlier switch this particular one made it quite easy for Giles to feel the full weight of the switch it was for him specifically. It had the impact of making the Watcher flinch.

"I'll keep an eye on him – for Buffy's sake." Xander confirmed then he added with softer tones, "Buffy deserves a party tonight so I'm glad we're having it."

Giles nodded silently taking the glare as a reprimand or maybe as a type of accusation for which told the Watcher that Xander was aware that he'd unduly pressed the unfair advantage.

Willow was surprised, it clicked during this conversation that it wasn't Angel that defied the prophecy at the end of last year but Xander. Now Xander was going to be looking after the guy who stole the heart of the girl he liked. She almost whimpered it was so… sexy. She bit her lip to keep quiet and stay unnoticed by the two males in the room.

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The sun set not long ago, it was almost seven in the evening, and Buffy and Angel were on their way to the school.

When Buffy had left school earlier that day, she'd been tailed by Xander without his being spotted out. Xander hadn't been close enough to hear them but he'd been sure by the aura of the mood that the topic of their discussion had been Drusilla.

With the duo on the move now it meant that Xander was again trailing after them. He knew he was likely to meet with Giles at their destination so assumed it was the high school library as previously planned.

Angel idly wondered on Buffy's presence, _**'Have I been assigned the duty of keeping her distracted from the preparations the group is making for her party? I wonder if they changed it to be at the school. No way am I going to spoil it and ask her if they've not informed her of it.'**_

Xander made sure he was down wind of them. He was sure Buffy would pass up his scent as she was around it all day but Angel wouldn't and with the night so calm the scent would be quite strong if he was either too close or upwind. He was fairly sure they'd thought they heard something a few times during his trip to the high school but they'd not looked more then once at his direction.

Xander had been extremely thankful for the soldier memories and whatever gifts the hyena left in him. He hadn't thought before, but with the memories of the soldier showing him how hard it was to sneak about and how much effort went into learning, Xander was forced to think on why he'd seemed to do it naturally and found it likely the hyena.

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Janna fingered the crystal hanging around her neck. It was an old one that was keyed to the original curse cast so long ago over Angelus and the soul which now controlled him. It shared a bit of mild warmth letting her know the curse was weakening still, but as week as it was it at least showed it was still there. She was thinking on that curse and hoping Uncle Enyos was in time. She felt more now than ever that it was going to be a close call.

Seeing two figures Janna called out, "Buffy?"

Buffy turned smiled and asked, "Miss Calendar, what do you need?"

Angel stayed quiet.

"Rupert said there was a change of plans. He needed a book he left at home and Snyder is…" she tailed off gesturing as if it wasn't important. "Rupert wants us to meet with him near his house."

Buffy smiled with a humorous laugh, "Heaven knows that he doesn't have enough of them in the library." She liked Jenny and liked her affect on her Watcher.

"Ah," she said nervously, unconsciously licked her lips "He's very thorough…"

"That's not of the bad." Buffy had a smirk on her face as she added, "In fact it's kind of manly!" She watched the computer teacher flush slightly and so add with a naïve look and a perky smile, "In a compulsive obsessive kind of way. Don't you think?"

The perky naïve Buffy had Angel fit to be tied; he really wanted to laugh but held it in. He could laugh almost silently but any laugh would be heard by Buffy's slayer hearing.

Janna smiled and said, "You know I have my car here," and asked; "why don't I drive you two there?"

Buffy grinned and nodded.

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Xander watched, _**'The two subjects converged with an ally. They have modified their mode of travel and are vacating the area with speed.'**_ He groans with a sigh, _**'There isn't much a can do to keep up with Miss C's car.'**_

It took a moment of reflection before he brought up the mental agenda for the night and realized where the car was heading. He knew quite a few shortcuts thru town to different places which cut not only travel time but distance. He smiled as he cut across a yard and hopped the back fence of some unknown resident's yard.

Glancing back at the road he saw Miss C's car go down curving away from the Bronze as the road flows and smiled thinking on how much time that was going to add to their trip to the Bronze. He took the rest of the trip at a slow steady jog. It was a nice cool night and it wasn't long before he had the bronze and Miss C's car in his sight.

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As Jenny Calendar drives down the road Buffy frowns, suddenly curious, "Are we going to the Bronze?"

Smirking, just a bit, Janna gives her the non answer, "I got directions form Rupert."

Angel smiled; he found it funny that he was actually sure Buffy didn't know of the party or their preparations for it.

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The PTBs glared at the board Grudle growled out, "They were not supposed to find the arm being taken while together." It was a detail that could be disastrous.

Yutide nodded, "The Judge has lost almost all probability of ever again being assembled."

Jasmine still had other ways to ensure her hidden agenda the others were not aware of, she announced, "It maters not in the larger scale, the two will consummate their vows of unity and the curse will break."

Yutide gives a reluctant agreement with her words, "Very well, but the hidden chaos on the scrying board is growing. We are losing sight of more and more of the slayer and her group's lives."

Grudle smiled maliciously, "Send Whistler to ensure the stone statue is delivered to blond vampire, play our other options and make sure the military arrives on the Hellmouth as soon as possible."

Jasmine was nervous now, "Are you sure that is wise this early in the game?"

Yutide shrugged, "It matters not what the prior plan was. We will destroy our champions and elevate new ones that are under easier to control. We can not hope to win if we do not control the board."

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Whistler groaned as he was sent to collect a dark artifact that contained the remains of an old one. If it was to drop it into a lava pit he wouldn't have minded much but instead he was to give it to an insane vampire.

The voice of said insane vampire spoke just before he became visible. "The balance giver is come to give her a gift?"

The vampire was looking past Whistler. Spike looked up into the shadows and narrowed his eyes with a growl. Dru smacked his nose shocking the blond vampire. "Behave little Spike."

"Yea behave William." He then looked at the crazy vampire, "I was sent to give you a gift." He closed his eyes willing the statue to appear. He thought for a moment, feeling for what he could do to balance out the gift, and then smiled as he spoke the words of balance, "A gift from the Powers to assist in the end for your trouble with the little slayer and her group."

With those words said Whistler shimmered out and watched as Spike wheeled worriedly up the statue.

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Buffy was watching the night. Seeing something she taps Miss Calendar on the shoulder, "This looks funny." She gestured, "Stop for a moment."

Buffy and Angel and she got out of the car and approach the loading dock to the left of the Bronze.

She spots a vampire and groans out with a bit of accusation in her tone, "Every time I see you, you're stealing something."

Angel looks into the truck and attacks the vampire there while Buffy starts for the door of the trunk Dalton is in.

Four of the five vampires were easily dusted by Angel and Buffy's tag teaming. The fifth was however escaping in the chaos and out of sight from Buffy and Angel before the battle was over. Xander however happened to be approaching the area from the same direction the vampire was escaping through and though they wouldn't have passed each other it was close enough for Xander to run after and dust him.

The entire thing took place within sight of the Bronze on the side of the reserved section they were having the surprise party at. Xander heard Jenny shout from the distant.

"Help me get this inside!"

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Buffy and Angel picked it up and carried it inside for her. "Surprise" the group all shouted and Buffy dropped the box in shock.

Angel grunted and almost glared at those in the room for startling the slayer while she was carrying something he'd been on the other end of.

Xander came in a moment later. He'd had a resigned look as he glanced at Angel. Xander had staked the escaping vampire but it had taken some effort and surprise. It however was remarkably lack in the martial arts display the duo had put in with the four staked vampires.

Unsure what Buffy and Angel had carried in, Willow asks, "What's this Miss Calendar?"

The computer teachers shrugs, "I'm not sure but the creeps had it."

"Let us open it and we shell see." Giles stated.

Buffy works the latch and looks inside and looks at Giles disgusted. _'It's a blue arm in armor!'_ wasn't needed to be said as it was written all over her face.

"Giles" she starts to say but the arm reaches out to grab her as it does it weakens the slayer abilities and starts to choke her.

Xander and Angel are trying to help Buffy, Xander holds her shoulders tightly and nods to Angel; Angel grabs the arm and jerks it. Buffy starts coughing and Angel tosses the arm to make sure she's alright.

Xander sees to the arm and goes after it. Returning it to the box was a struggle but didn't take that much time.

Holding Buffy, Angel mutters "She couldn't…"

Giles looks over and asks, "Angel?" Clearly the vampire knew what the arm was.

"That's the arm of the Judge." he shivered at the name. "I would say this was all the confirmation we need to know that Dru is alive. Not only that but that vampire Buffy dusted was one of her and Spike's. The one they used to help them with the du Lak cross."

Giles gives him a nod, "The Judge, this can't be all of him. I mean it took an army to battle him and they… dismembered him?" he glanced at the arm.

"It was long before my time" Angel agreed, "But I understand it did take an army, no weapon forged could stand against him. They buried his peaces throughout the known world of that time."

"And Drusilla is bringing them here?"

"She's crazy enough to do it" he said solemnly.

"What? Reassemble the Judge?"

He nodded, "…and bring forth Armageddon."

"We need to get this out of town."

"No" Xander said sternly. Xander was not in the mood to stalk Angel all over the freaking planet. "We need to destroy it!"

Giles couldn't help but stare in shock at Xander at that correction. He slowly nodded thinking, _**'Obviously, Xander has something in mind on how to do such a thing.'**_

When he stayed silent Giles voiced the question, "How?"

"I once read about thermite with Jesse." He smiles slightly nostalgic, "It's from the _Anarchist Cook Book_; a bit of aluminum powder, some rust and a magnesium-flare to light it. We'll need a bunch of it, I'm guessing. Or maybe a Willy-Pete grenade could burn hot enough if thermite doesn't work. My point is that we are relying on these tails of legend which predate gun powder… right?"

Giles and Angel nod. "You are right, my boy. But for now why don't we have the party and we can take care of this" he gestures to the box, "tonight." There was a slightly euphoric feeling of knowing they were going to end such a viable threat and it was showing.

Turing to his possible paramour Giles whispers to her, "I have the keys to the school; Miss Calendar." Then with a twinkle in his eyes asks, "Would you care to accompany me to the chemistry lab after the party is finished?"

Janna blushes. Xander smirked as the girls closer to Giles's whispering giggled at the obviousness of their librarian. Angel felt a moment of relief as he was sure he'd been about to be asked to leave town.

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The party ended about three hours later.

Angel smiles a Buffy, "Would you like to walk home?"

Impishly Buffy asks, "Yours or mine?"

He gulped and she smiled widely. It was unclear which he chose, even to those nearby enough to hear the question. Giles and Miss Calendar left almost an hour ago with the blue arm in a box.

As soon as Buffy and Angel left, Xander, who had watched them with purpose, made a note of the direction they took from the doors. _**'They're walking slowly enough; I'll give them a few moments privacy. I wish I knew if they were going to Buffy's or Angel's. I guess I'll find out soon enough.'**_ He had taken Giles mission for him to heart. He'd collected a number of stakes and two of his squeeze bottles filled with holy water during his school lunch. He wasn't prepared for an all out assault or even half the crap that he suspected could crop up but he was still at least prepared for a solo patrol.

Soon enough he turned to Cordelia and let her know with a soft loving tone, "I got to go." He however didn't lean in to give her a goodbye kiss as he had felt the urge to do.

Cordy harrumphed at his words. Jasmine had been pushing Cordelia's hormones to the very edge of her ability to try and tempt the wild card into certain activities and away from others, and Cordelia wasn't the only one she'd been affecting. She'd been doing the same to Willow with the hope of further her agenda and driving the wedge between the two girls deeper in, jealousy was an easy emotion to twist unobtrusively.

Willow noticed Xander and Cordelia sitting closer than was strictly needed during the party and that neither one minded all that much. That last realization was one of the things that seemed to be serving as a major distraction from everything else going on right now.

When Xander left Willow muttered, "What's he up to?"

Willow hadn't even noticed Angel and Buffy leaving and hadn't even thought of Xander following thru with his earlier assigned 'mission'. Even if she had given either of them a thought, she was still too distracted to actually think it through and put it together.

Cordy froze for a moment. She wasn't use to Willow openly conversing with her or asking her something. Willow for her part, hadn't really meant to, she was just muttering to herself.

Almost petulantly Cordy told the redhead, "I'm not sure; he's acting all secret like!"

Willow found it was her turn to freeze for a moment. Comprehension dawned in her eyes at Cordelia's petulant tone and the words she'd used. Her nemesis was showing actual concern, personal concern for Xander.

The redhead turns, still looking surprised, before she smiles just a bit, "You like Xander!"

Cordy's eyes got large and she turned to deny it but was stopped by Willow's firm tone and glare, "Don't bother denying it!"

Willow turned her nose up just a bit and her voice sounded accusing when she spoke, "I just saw the way you looked at him… just now, as he left. God knows I've had that same look but there's something different about it."

Cordy actually fidgeted under the resolve accusation face Willow had perfected on Xander. Finally the dark haired beauty hisses at the redhead, "Alright already! Just stop with the look."

Cordelia glances around as if caught before she grabs Willow's hand and pulls the surprised, and turned on, redhead over to the couch for a more intimate setting.

"You remember the Taraka? I mean obviously you do; but what you don't know is that Xander and I hid from the bug man in Buffy's basement and ended up kissing."

Here Cordelia's voice took on a petulant whine, "We vowed not to do it again and said it didn't mean anything but…" the whine worsened in pitch while Willow's eyes go large, "But it did damn it. Xander is the only guy that has ever seen past the abrasiveness that puts everyone else off. Most guys either date me because they think I'm easy or because my mom and dad have money."

Willow was quiet; she was still in shock that Xander kissed Cordy.

Cordelia spoke with one breath; it was remarkably similar in it's mimicry to one of the famous Willow Babbles. "Xander wants to date and tell everyone but I'm… I'm scared! What if everyone makes fun of me because, to be honest, I've been a major bitch to Xander and… and you in the past and I've made fun of you and him and now I'm like dating him even if he's not paid for a date yet, my point is the same. That's not even if my parents find out, they have a strong dislike for his father… I can't say as I blame them, Xander feels the same but really if they find out I'm dating my dweeb boy verbal sparing partner they're going to freak."

Feeling extremely left out she said "You're dating Xander, or you want to."

"It's not like he's dating anyone else and if you really were waiting on him you would have never went for a computer nerd you never met, or does the name Malcolm mean nothing to you?" she glared.

Willow stiffened and looked down.

"Sorry" Cordy said, "I'm a bitch and I know it, Xander knows it too but he's able to look past it. If I dated him and he was to turn, and hurt me… he might actually succeed." Cordy looked down.

"He does that too. He doesn't mean to hurt us but he does it! You have to ask yourself if you want to live thru the hurt and love him anyway." Willow said as she realized talking to Cordelia and finding out her friend was kissing her didn't hurt quite as much as it could have if she'd not talked to her and just found them kissing. "I made that decision long ago, I'm his if he but asks."

Cordy looked at her and narrowed her eyes then asks almost accusatorily, "Even if he's dating me?"

Glaring at Cordy, Willow insists firmly "Always! You might have his love or not, but remember Cordelia Chase, he is always mine!"

Cordy smiled slightly at the proclamation.

"Ask him if I'm his Willow, he'll tell you I am without a doubt. There's never even a hesitation when he says it. I don't think he sees me sometimes but if he ever does I don't care if he's dating Buffy, you, or my mother! If he sees me suddenly, as a woman with curves, and asks for me, I'll jump his bones." She was slightly red from being both turned on and embarrassed at that sexual declaration.

Cordy was surprised. The strange thing was she wasn't upset at Willow's assertion; in fact she was turned on by the blunt Willow. She nodded collecting her thoughts before she spoke.

When she spoke it was soft, almost whispered and held no small amount of worry, "I'll talk to him. I don't want to get hurt anymore than I have to."

Willow nodded and surprised Cordy by hugging her in full support mode it was a few seconds before she sighed and disentangle. "We should get home before it gets too late."

Cordy's eyes lit up and she offers – sans her normal abrasiveness, "I'll give you ride home?"

Willow smiled, relieved not to walk alone after dark.

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Giles and Jenny were at Sunnydale High. They'd not been able to locate enough rust, iron oxide, in any sufficient amount to achieve the length of time it would take to burn the arm. They did however raid the photography club and collected a large amount of flash powder they use to make authentic photos using old cameras. The arm seemed to almost scream when the magic broke forever preventing the Judge from being re-assembled.

Jenny sighed breaking the celebration kiss, "Rupert before we do anything more tonight, I need to talk with you."

The seriousness of her tone was not lost on him when he asked her, "What is it Jenny?"

Being blunt she stated, "My birth name was Janna Kalderash; my clan was the one that cursed Angelus."

He raised an eyebrow, his voice taking on a cold tent he asks "Your clan?"

She nods at him and shares, "I was meant to come here and ensure that the curse on Angelus held. It's been weakening recently. I worked to add a layer to the curse; you see I found out an error they made when they did the curse. It was a curse to the soul and so if the soul's suffering lessened it would weaken the curse. By tomorrow the curse layer should be ready and ensure the curse is never broken. I think he's falling in love with Buffy and her presence is assuaging the guilt the soul feels."

"I see, and your involvement with…?" he wanted to say _me_ but couldn't.

"Is actually seen by the majority of the clan as a hindrance to my duty" she said with a bit of amusement and then added, "but after I chewed out one of my elders…" she smiled softly a bit embarrassed that she'd done that, now that it was over, "I doubt they will complain about my choices. I just felt that we're getting involved enough that we need to be honest about who we are in name and history. I felt utterly betrayed when I found out one of your secrets – not because it wasn't shared, but because the outcome of the secret revealed was deadly."

"I see" he said his tone although not husky lacked any cold demeanor. "The slayer dream, it might have been relating to the curse."

"I thought of that, but with you sending Xander to tail Angel for the night at least, I'm hoping that the extra layer of the curse will be in place before anything to break the curse occurs. Besides there is nothing more I can do to ensure the curse lasts."

He nodded, "It might be your clan and it might be your duty, but nothing of that is overly influencing the current state of affairs." That last bit was said with a husky smirk before he adds, "Now where were we?" as he leaned in to kiss her. Her return kiss was much more passionate.

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	3. 3: Betrayal Realized, Friendship & Allia

The Scooby Gang

Book I: Buffy vs. Powers

Disclaimer: I have no property rights to any published or copyrighted material that is reserved to those that make money from ideas which I do not.

Summery: This is the first book in a series. This takes place in a Buffy-Parallel verse that things happened a bit differently than they did in Cannon.

Warning: Multi Ship M/FFF ahead!

CHAPTER 3: Betrayal Realized, Friendship & Alliances, a New Dawn Arrives

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Dru suddenly starts wailing, "They took daddy away! Miss Edith said he was coming to my party but the nasty Gypsies have hidden him from me. Spike!" she cried out for her paramour.

She whines as he holds her, "Send a minion to get daddy! I want him to watch and then we can send him to hell."

She points at the statue before adding with petulance. "That's the way it was supposed to be!"

Spike doesn't even turn he calls out an order, "Seymour, you take droops there and go collect that poof, Angelus. I would break into the local pound, they keep a good tranquilizer in their tranquilizer guns you can use, just don't forget the extra darts. You don't want to dust the poof, if Dru don't want you to." There was some warning in that last bit and they both fled.

Petulant still Dru pushes Spike away and starts to play, talking to the antique doll she'd had for so long, "Daddy is coming and is going to be punished. My little Spike is going to make him stay in hell he is."

"Tell me ducks, how am I going to send him to hell?"

"The coffee slayer is going to come" she told him and pouted, "She's going to have the special sword we need. Daddy needs to be cut by that sword before he grabs that one" she pointed, "there."

He looked at the statue thinking.

Dru continues, "Daddy is going to pull it out and get sucked in." she grabbed Spike. "My little Spike thinks I'm bad. Is he going to spank me? Make it hurt little Spike, mummy wants it bad." She whined.

Spike grinned, she didn't often want to have rough sex and he was in no shape to have it but he could spank her hard enough to make up for it.

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Kendra was on a flight worried about being weaponless. She thought about it and liked the luggage hold much better.

She thought over the dream she had and wondered if the slayer dreams were always so convoluted. She felt pulled in four directions while she dreamed. Her Watcher had found a prophecy concerning Sunnydale if not by name however because of her dream she was coming before its fruition. The prophecy he found wasn't due for another few months but with the pull felt now there was no reason to wait. Her Watcher would call Giles in the morning to make sure he was there to pick her up and tell him of the dream concerning Acathla.

She wondered why she felt the feeling of utter betrayal in the dream, not from Buffy or her friends in Sunnydale but from something else. The long flight would take some time so she closed her eyes and hoped for sleep to come shortly.

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Xander sat in the shadows where he could see the entrance and window of Angel's apartment and watched. He wasn't happy about Buffy and Angel in Deadboy's apartment doing lord knows what. He felt the vampire was too old for her. Still, here he sat (not brooding). He was focusing on not brooding when he spotted two hostile approaching, two vampires but the odd thing was that they were pulling out guns. Calling on the inner soldiering skills, he snuck up as silent as a ghost.

He was now behind the rear vampire stabbing him from the back, through the heart. He grabbed the gun which didn't turn to ash before it could clink on the ground. The dusting had been quiet and Xander felt a bit of pride at that. That he could get so close to a vampire without it knowing was a worthy feat to feel pride over.

He started to ghost up to the next but he'd taken too long to take out the first vampire and the second was already at Angel's door. Xander called "Angel!" before firing a shot with the gun he knew as he fired was a dart gun. The vampire had turned at the shout and Xander nailed it in the forehead.

Angel opens the door with his shirt half on, shocked he asks, "Xander?"

Xander nods, "We need to find out why this one and Mr. Dusty back there were after you."

Angel groans and Buffy came out of the apartment with her blouse buttoned wrong.

Xander continues picking up the other's dart gun, "We should probably take him to the library." He put the gun into his pocket.

Buffy frowns, "What are you doing here, Xander?"

"Spying on Deadboy" he said with a smirk.

Buffy glared and Angel growled.

"Relax, Giles instructed me to be your shadow in case they wanted to pull another du Lak."

Upset at the interruption and angry at not being told, Buffy rudely asks, "And he chose you?"

Xander shrugs, "I'm the only one that's successfully defied written codex, if it could be done again he thought I would be the one to do it."

Angel surprised her by nodding. "You might have." He said glancing at the vampire and picking it up. "Come on Buffy; we'll have later to… talk."

Buffy harrumphs and Xander voice interrupts any rebuttal, "Buffy could you use Angel's phone, you have one right?"

"Yes" he said.

"Could you call Giles and make sure he's at the library with Miss Calendar? Maybe you could call Willow too and get her there. We might need some truth spell to make him talk and I doubt Willow would forgive us if we had Miss Calendar do any magic without her witnessing it."

Buffy nodded and rushed back in and Xander and Angel went on their way.

"What did you want to talk about that you didn't want Buffy to hear?"

"Look she's almost full grown; she can make her own choices. I don't much care for them but they're hers to make, but if you hurt her." He said the hyena coming out a bit, "If you hurt her I'll tie you down soul or not and mix holy water with my own blood to drip on your forehead so it will heal and burn with every drip. I'm sure it will give a new meaning of the words _Chinese Water Torture_."

Angel shivered but nodded before he told him, "I gave her a ring a few mornings ago. It was something I never thought I would do, it was a claddagh ring. Only nobles had fancy weddings this was a way to claim a bride so long as she accepted."

Xander sighs, admitting, "She wore it. I noticed it; she kept looking at it fondly." He shook his head, "She made her choice and I'll respect that, even if I don't like the fact that you're a vampire. Even if you hadn't had a history as bloody as Angelus's was, I still wouldn't like it, maybe I'm just prejudice against vampires."

"I don't know, in your place… I can't say as I blame you."

"If you ever have a chance to be made human, you'll take it." It was a question but also a statement, a demand.

"Unless it cost the life of an innocent." Angel quantified his agreement with the demand solemnly.

"Buffy's coming up" Xander said, "I think this talk did us both a world of good but I'm still calling you Deadboy."

Angel almost laughed at the childishness of the tone. Xander may be a man child but he still agreed to shadow him for his protection.

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Giles was more than piqued at the interruption. He'd invited Janna to his home and they'd been naked and in the act when the call from Buffy had been received. If he could he would have gladly wrung the slayers neck at that moment in time, just for the interruption.

The deed was finished shortly after the call and they were now dressed with Janna smirking at him as they were both rather overly worked up.

"Oh relax!" She told him then sultrily added, "Tomorrow is Saturday and we have all day to complete what we've started tonight."

"Very well, do you need anything for a truth spell for a vampire?"

"I could do with some rosemary and, you have the Orb of Thesulah on your desk still?"

"Yes?"

Janna smirks, "I could threaten him with a soul."

Giles gulps and smiles slightly.

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Wilton, also known as droops to other vampires, was woken with a start. He roared with anger trying to get the better of his captors.

Xander was having none of it, his voice was calm and cold, "Be nice!" he said as he sprayed his crotch with his water. The hissing sound made the vampire scream.

The coldness was almost cheerful, something only Xander could perfect. "I've got more." It wasn't meant to be a friendly offer of more bear but it sounded just like it.

Angel shivered as the vampire screamed, "No!"

Xander looked at he vampire with a predatory look, "Tell us. What were you doing?"

Buffy was shocked at her Xander shaped friend's demeanor. She'd started to say something but Angel grabbed her waist unconsciously distracting her.

The captive vampire shook with fear and spoke very quickly, too quickly really, "I was just getting the vampire with the soul. Dru wanted him."

The glowing Orb of Thesulah that was on the wall directly behind the vampire lit with a blue glow. He was telling the truth.

Willow half turned to look at it as she was almost directly behind the vampire. Beside Willow was Cordy. Willow had invited Cordelia over for the night and Xander wasn't sure he wanted to know why. They seemed to be acting different; he would have guessed that they were long lost friends the way they'd lacked any hostility.

He didn't known that Willow had talked with Cordy for hours while he was outside Angel's apartment. He also had no idea that Willow had been extremely keyed up by the conversation and Cordy wasn't much better.

What he did know was he enjoyed their shocked expressions as they watched him work the vampire mentally. Their looks were ones of shock that bordered on the side of perverse. Cordy wasn't as turned on by the verbal command and violence as Willow, she was still there.

Giles was content to let the young man have this interrogation, after all he'd capture the vampire and on his own. Perhaps the group needed to see him as he was. The only surprise of the night for him was the arrival of Miss Chase with Willow.

Xander leaned forward a bit distracted a second by the girls. He 'accidentally' leaned on the bottle sending a small impotent squirt that didn't even hit the vampire. It looked to the girls however like he'd done it on purpose to convince the vampire to talk.

He smiled and asked, "Why did she want him?"

"She has some stone statue a strange guy dropped off; she said he was supposed to get sucked into hell." There was a blue tent again.

He thought, _**'A vampire calling someone strange?'**_ so asked; "The stone statue; who dropped it off?"

"I don't know" the blue Orb of Thesulah was now yellowish in areas a sign of a half truth.

A spray hit the vampire's upper thigh just a bit. The cheerful almost singsong voice was eerie, "You're not being an _honest_ vampire." His voice turned emotionless with a tone of command. "What _do you know_ of who dropped it off?"

The vampire did as Xander bid though he could have given Willow a run for her money in the babbling department, "He was in some suit from the seventies and had a brimmed hat and tie. Dru called him _balance giver_. He looked human but smelled like demon, said that it was a gift from the Powers."

The voice of Angel hisses from behind the vampire, "Whistler!"

The captured vampire's eyes widened at the remaindered that that he didn't know who was behind him. Knowing that the other vampire was there was not a good feeling.

"Goodbye." said Xander. "You have two choices you can tell us where Dru and Spike are held up and I can stake you or we can test to see if a vampire can actually die from a solid stream of holy water." He actually looked curious when he asked.

"Their in the old factory on the corner of Grande and twelfth" He said and close his eyes tightly. Xander struck home when the light lit blue.

"Whistler?" he asked Angel.

"He's the one that told me of my destiny to fight the good fight." He said, "I was…" he looked down and Buffy squeezed his waist.

"I was in the slums of New York, feeding off rats, and not really living." He said, "He showed me Buffy getting called, teleported me there." He added, "Whistler is an agent for the Powers That Be. The ones that direct the slayer essence into the next slayer called."

Xander closed his eyes in supplication; opening them he turned to the surprised Giles and asked, "Any ideas on these Powers that Suck and why they would suddenly grant weapons of mass destruction to our enemies?"

Giles shook his head negative. He was taken aback by Xander's take charge mentality but thought of it, and realized the boy was channeling the inner hyena a bit more; likely because not only was he the Alpha but he'd been making full use of his animal side during the interrogation, Giles was sure of it. The answer to his formerly unasked question concerning the switch of emotions on the boy's face was there.

"I will endeavor to locate any information and research any stone statues that could suck people into hell." He was surprised nobody really rebelled against Xander's take charge mentality. Even Angel was following the boy's lead.

Xander turned to the vampire ally and asked, "Well Angel, do you want to stay the night at my house?"

Angel wasn't the only one that blinked.

Buffy narrowed her eyes, knowing some how this was a ploy to get her and him apart for the night. The others had no idea about her former interrupted activities so were all surprised.

"He can…" she started to say but Xander interrupted her.

"You mother isn't a drunkard. If he had to knock her out because she'd be in the way of another attack I would be super upset. My mother is going to be out of it, and he is more than free to knock my dad on his ass or out if he sees him."

Buffy glared at him missing the lament on his home life.

"What does he need to stay with someone for?" Willow asks thinking the threat to Angel was over and hoping Buffy could finish their nice romantic night of it at his place.

"He needs to stay at a residence so vampires can't enter and grab him. I'm the only guy available, unless Giles wants to interrupt his evening rendezvous with Miss Calendar." He glanced at the two who were now blushing.

"That's fine," announces Angel already smelling the sex on the two adults. "I can stay with Xander."

Buffy felt gypped and glared at Xander huffing. _**'There went getting any tonight.'**_

She was acting as though it was utterly Xander's fault. He smirked at her knowingly. She added fire to her eyes that promised torture at another time.

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Xander and Angel quickly checked the factory and as expected it was empty of any obviously activity. They made a token effort to search the area for any immediate threats and then made their way to the Harris house. They were in the basement and worked for about a half an hour to clear a moderate living area before Xander hit the hay.

"I appreciate this, Xander." There was more to his expression than simple words. Xander inviting him into his home was more than anything he'd expected from the boy.

"Just, if you bring Buffy here, keep her down here." Angel blinked, it was his expression. The boy was expecting him to stay longer than a single night, or a few nights. "I really don't mind you knocking dear ole dad out but if he smacked her on the ass in his drunken stupor, she might actually kill him. I really don't want her to feel guilty for that community service."

Angel laughed, "I'm going to head out and grab some blood. It's only a half an hour tell sun rise and the butcher opens up in about five minutes."

The shop, unsaid, was only about a few minutes walk and Xander was far too tired to follow the vampire. Xander nodded and made his way up to his room to find at least a few hours of sleep. Angel took one of the tranquilizer pistols just in case.

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The PTBs were staring at the scrying on board in a stupor. The overall picture of what was going on was clear enough to see their plans fall to pieces and vanish. Their sight on specific details and events however were there but becoming ever increasingly muddled.

The play they'd pushed was meant to have three changes. It was their equivalent to going squares on a chess board. Instead the piece had gone eight and took an enemy's pawn. This might have been good but every time a play was done each equivalent space moved used a load of collective power. Add to that the power it took to take an enemy piece would be adding to the power drain of the move.

The power it took was why they limited their interference. If the piece had just done that on its own, it wouldn't have used the PTB's power but instead it had done it after the PTBs had given the piece a token of their power, they'd motivated them and that meant any action the piece took was power drained from the PTBs. It would give the advantage and initiative to the other side and take control completely out of their hands until they used the same amount of power that had just been used. They were all worried about the way the other side would use this initiative now that they had no way to counter them.

Jasmine hisses in anger that reverberated throughout the ethereal chamber, the anger and shout surprised the other two, "Eliminate them all!" all the while she was thinking angrily, _**'There went over two hundred years of personal planning down the drain.'**_

Grudle nodded agreeing, "Glory is already nearing the Slovakian Monastery in the Republic of Czech, the monks have started the spell; they don't seem to have enough power or time to build the power needed when adjusting minds of champions or those that have been over the Hellmouth influence for any significant amount of time."

Dismissively Jasmine gestures; "Tap the key and send it to the past!" If she was human the gesture would be waving her hand signifying something unimportant. "If she was always the slayer's sister, it matters not on what they adjust. Be sure they limit the ability to influence the major events in the flow of time previous to their spell, maybe after she's able to affect the others, we will gain more control over the board without the extra work."

They all nod and collectively send some power as well as influence into the monk who was doing the spell. The way this spell was cast made it so that the key was made flesh inside Joyce Summer's womb with the very first cell division. It meant that Dawn Summers would grow with a substantial ability in magic and dimensional energy from a very young age.

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Dawn often felt lonely growing up. She was not a very well rounded girl. This was through no fault of her own but simply put very few people listened to her and the ones that did didn't seem to do anything about anything she said or even things she'd done. She grew use to this and understood she had some limits in her existence.

When she was five she'd discovered magic, her own magic that is. She tried to but couldn't seem to share this with anyone else. She didn't even try with her parents or sister; it wasn't like they listened to her anyway.

Dawn found if she really wanted something or needed something then things happened. When she was seven and wanted a stuffed bunny she'd seen on TV it appeared out of thin air. The gift didn't seem to work if she didn't truly and honestly want it. It was almost as though she had to want it and have some need for it as well.

When she got the bunny it wasn't just a stuffed animal she was after. She'd really wanted a hug just then and thought of the stuffed animal as huggable. That was the first time she did it consciously using her emotions and focus. Over the years other things from books, movies, or shows had occasionally popped into existence in her hands or in her bed when she woke. Seldom did she focus to use this talent she just didn't feel the need to.

She had no idea on how she was accomplishing it. There was no formula or magic words she could repeat, even trying to feel the emotions again wouldn't accomplish it. It wasn't just a spike of general emotions either. She'd had more then once had something appear without being upset just the need without the hype.

When Buffy was called Dawn had known but nobody listened to her anyway so she ignored it when her mother and father broke up. She was glad her father was away he was an ass.

Moving to Sunnydale Dawn was thrilled but she felt darkness shrouded the town. She liked Buffy's friends, even the vampire that felt different.

Then just after her sister's birthday she lay in bed and felt some kind of sudden oppression lift, as if by magic and felt inexplicitly and unexpectedly free.

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With Dawn actually there in the group's past, it felt as though the recall of her presence was suddenly highlighted. When the spell to limit her influence was lifted the timeline's fixed destination to that point was over. The attempts she'd made to influence those around her up until that time suddenly were flooded with the ability to choose and notice things. The conflict in their memories stood out like a sore thumb and there wasn't a single mind that she'd touched that wasn't upset at the influx of information or riddled with guilt.

At the Harris home Xander woke with a start just as the spell depriving Dawn of influence lifted. He left his bedroom and headed for the basement to talk with the vampire.

He called out the vampire's name, "Angel?" It was about ten o'clock that Saturday morning.

Angel was surprised that he'd said his name instead of Deadboy, but the fact he said on approach and because he was coming to him when Angel didn't see a reason for it, he nodded and ask, "Xander?"

"I just had the strangest dream or maybe I didn't, you can do that master-vampire hypnosis thing right?" he asked.

Angel was wary but nodded.

Xander sighed, "I hate to ask you this because I don't have too much trust for you, or haven't so far. You recall Dawn, Buffy's sister?"

He nodded before verbally confirming it, "I recall her, cute girl about two years younger than Buffy." He'd said that to ensure they were talking of the same person, the same Dawn. For some reason something just didn't sit right when he was talking about Dawn.

"A year and half?" he asked rhetorically, "A full year younger than me, but ignored by the entire group, even when she's out… at night?"

Angel's eyes widened. Xander smiled grimly but nodded almost smugly at the realization on Angel's face. "Can you hypnotize me and check to see if I have any outside influences on my mind that could or would force me to do something like that, or have already done so?"

"It's not exactly that simple, Xander." Angel said with some humor. "You've had other influences and some of those were internal and others came from or originated from outside sources. Like the soldier or the hyena. The only way to check over your past in a broad sense would be to merge or solidify what you have, whatever remnants they may have left inside you. They may have originally come from outside sources but they aren't right now, they would interfere if you didn't merge them with whatever perception you have aside from that. You'd have to claim whatever is left of them internally."

Angel knew after last night that Xander had some residual left in him, he was fairly sure it was the hyena but he thought the soldier could have been an influence as well.

Xander hesitates and thinks of it then looking directly at the vampire that he'd made a point not trust and gives him a trusting nod, _**'This needs to be done.'**_

"The memory" he said about to ask.

"The hyena?" asks Angel, "You'll have full recall."

"I already do recall it. I really don't want Buffy to know. It'll only make her uncomfortable."

"I think she would just pass it off." He gave a shrug, "That's why it's not really important to tell her."

Xander smirked at the way Angel wordsmithed that out, "Then let's do this."

"First thing is first, we need to fully merge the instincts that are on the surface, nothing demonic or anything but I'm fairly sure that memories and feelings will be utterly clear."

Suddenly worried he asks, "I won't be possessed again will I?"

"No, no external spirit there, but you might have similar urges to what you had than; sort of like missing limbs have ghost pains or itches."

He nodded and Angel stared into his eyes. **"Be in me,"** he intoned as his eyes took on a yellow hue. "**Feel the instinct, the drive of nature, the hunger for the hunt, the desire to live, and feel and remember all.**" There was a pause, a long one. **"Remember and feel"**

Angel hadn't shared that he'd be in contact with his mind while Xander recalled his life. It usually wasn't a close detailed observation but then again Xander wasn't exactly normal around magic.

Angel's mind was connected to Xander's as he forced him to feel out the memories. Once the instincts of the hyena were accepted he could let Xander feel everything about his memories and then…

Xander's entire life, since Buffy was here, was felt. Angel made it a point to not commit the memories themselves to his mind as he might have done any other time. The emotions to some events he couldn't help but feel from Xander's perspective. Those memories were times he was part of the memory would clearly associate that memory with the Xander's emotion. It was a shock to feel him overcoming the anger at him, his blood took his brother.

He did get one thing that he'd searched for when this occurred. Dawn was covered by some spell that turned them away from her.

After the emotions ran dry and he was sure Xander's mind was simply reviewing the memories without emotion he commanded, **"Take to spirit the lessons learned; take to mind the skills trained; take to heart the victories earned, separate yourself from others' influence and know what is there!"** This was almost a spell but each mind would have different strengths and Xander's was force of will. This also forced Xander to sever the link of command he had establish with his trust, he had no desire to control the lad.

"Whoa" Xander said and his eyes widened then thinking of Dawn, "Was it a spell?"

"You tell me" he said "Think of Dawn and the emotions you felt before."

"They were clouded; I couldn't feel anything good or bad for her."

"You should talk to Buffy and Giles."

"I think we're going to need to pick up cell phones" he growled out as he fled.

Angel shook his head almost laughing at the boy as he went to the cot to rest for the day.

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Buffy and Dawn woke, Dawn feeling the repression fading, and Buffy suddenly feeling guilt about her sister, overwhelming guilt that was magical, the guilt was a backlash from the Monk's spell.

"Dawn" she said and hugged her.

Dawn smiled widely and pushed into the hug before she asks her, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing" she said and sighed, "I just realized I've treated you badly" she whined and Dawn smiled.

She asked hopefully "Does this mean I'm invited to the library group today?"

Buffy only hesitated a moment. "You know don't you?" she asked and Dawn nodded and pulled out a tube Buffy's eyes widened as suddenly the tube had a long blade of extremely bright light.

"I've had it since Halloween." No need to tell her big sister that she'd had because she pulled it out of thin air after dressing as a Jedi Knight; instead let her think it was from a costume made real.

"You carry that with you?" she asked.

Dawn smiled wickedly and told her with a grin, "It works great against vampires!"

Buffy nodded not even thinking of a time where her baby sister might have met a vampire to test it out on.

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	4. 4: Pain, Pains, Understanding, and a Jav

The Scooby Gang

Book I: Buffy vs. Powers

Disclaimer: I have no property rights to any published or copyrighted material that is reserved to those that make money from ideas which I do not.

Summery: This is the first book in a series. This takes place in a Buffy-Parallel verse that things happened a bit differently than they did in Cannon.

Warning: Multi Ship M/FFF ahead!

CHAPTER 4: Pain, Pains, Understanding, and a Javelin

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The group congregated in the high school library. Willow was driven by Cordy who'd stayed with her the rest of previous night. They'd planned to come to help research stone statues and Drusilla today. Willow was insistent on the research but Cordy wanted to talk with Xander about telling people.

Xander was first to arrived after Giles, he wanted to talk to Giles and then Buffy.

"Giles" Xander said coming in.

Giles looked up, "Xander, here to help research?"

Xander nodded as he set the donuts he'd picked up down on the table. Giles almost groaned at them. Xander asked him flat out, "You know Buffy's sister?"

Giles squints in concentration, "Dawn I believe?"

"She had some spell on her to make us ignore her; I'd say to the level of Marcy. I think it was the Powers, the fact that the spell ended shortly after Whistler delivered that statue, if I'm pondering the right of it… Do the Powers That Be have some kind of limit on how much they affect our reality or influence people?"

Giles nodded, "That might be the case." He agreed. "There is limited information and only on Conduits and Champions. The Powers and Infernal Powers, they are the controllers behind the scenes. The Powers control who it is that is called, whereas the Infernal Powers, often called the Dark Powers, will influence demons on who to kill, where to go, and what to do. The Dark Powers, we have copious amounts of information available concerning them; they are far from subtle."

Xander groans at Giles, "If Dawn was that important; either side might have made us ignore her. Angel did a whammy to get me to remember. I wanted to know if I was under a spell all this time, it was confirmed."

This time it was Giles turn to groan, he barely manages to hold it in, "I am not sure I would have trusted Angel to do that, he could have forced you do to anything while under his influence." He shivered.

"I haven't much like Angel, and in some things I don't trust him… but if both Powers are working to send him to hell and giving our enemies powers no pun intended; we need him."

"Need who?" Buffy asks as she came in with Dawn in tow.

Ignoring her questioned he turned to Dawn, "I see you too were under a spell." It was obvious to the others that comment was meant for Buffy, "Dawnie, I would never ignore you if there wasn't a spell on us to make it so."

"A spell" Buffy shrieked feeling slightly relieved.

Xander nods, "According to the whammy Angel put on me to relive all my memories this morning."

Upset Dawn asks, "A spell to make you ignore me, why?"

Xander hugged her. He couldn't help it. Buffy smirked at her younger sister taking full advantage of that Xander shaped hug. She'd taken advantage of those hugs in the past and knew how helpful they were.

"Xander pointed out" Giles started, "with the current state of affairs that it leads credence to the idea that the Powers were the cause of the spell. It could have been either Powers to tell the truth. However the 'why' of the spell is easily answered, you are someone that could either harm or help their plans."

Cordy and Willow entered the library, both of them seeing another woman in Xander's arms groan and glance at each other.

Cordy suddenly realized who the girl was. "Dawnie" she said and smiled slightly. "Why are you here?" Turning to Buffy with a whine in her tone at Dawn's lack of answer; "Why is she here?"

Willow bumped Cordy in the ribs with her elbow before glaring sternly at her, "Not that we don't want her here."

Cordy glared mildly amused at Willow. The new interplay wasn't lost on Buffy who was utterly shocked at it. One of the things Cordelia shared with Willow the night before was her need to have a conscious in regard to others' feelings, and agreed to allow Willow to be that if she could. Willow promised to try and help her but only if Cordelia promised to try to heed Willow's efforts.

Instead of Buffy answering it was Giles who explained what Xander did, had Angel do, and what the deduction was. After the brief explanation and theory Janna excused herself to collect a few herbs for a spell. They checked Dawn's aura to ensure there were not lingering or still active spells effecting her, then moved on to check everyone in the room for any active spells to affect their mind, control, and free will. This might not work with some forms of possession such as a slayer or even a Halloween costume as she can only check the persona and mind that is there, but it was good enough to ensure that everyone was who they thought themselves to be.

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The Powers were glaring at the board. Grudle growled in frustration; "Why are our moves being countered by our own pawns?"

Jasmine hedged her answer, not realizing it was a rhetorical question. "I don't know, but this last move will negate our influence even more."

Yutide shouted, "I want them off my board!"

"If I may," Jasmine's calm voice entered the group's anger. "Glory is on her way there, we could have D'Hoffryn send one of his. Perhaps a wish might be in order."

"If you have ties to that demon lord, use them."

Grudle offered up, "We can send word to Kakistos that two slayers are in Sunnydale perhaps the appeal of more than one will stir his inner demon."

"Make sure that Miss Walsh and Richard are introduced properly" he added instruction to Grudle's idea as the Power left to speak to the messenger.

The simple limits prevented messengers from being in the same realm as the scrying boards. The Boards signified the level of existence and as such, a level of limit on how much they could interfere with the lower levels of existence. Using those that were between the two levels, neither in their realm or on the board was easily done. The more they interacted with the lower levels the harder it was to ascend to higher levels, but then the PTBs had no desire to join the ascended ancients or the others.

After the Jasmine and Grudle fled the Board Room Realm, Yutide, the Power in Charge (PIC of PTBs) looked down at an unused pawn one from the other side and smirked as a plan formed. He could see the path that pawn was going to take unaided by them. He was sure with just a bit more power that path would be taken a bit early. He pushed power into the 'enemies' pawn.

Warren Mears suddenly had the idea to make his sex bot a bit more purposeful and the ideas on how to do that were suddenly much easier to dream up. He smiled as he set to work and even took to whistling thinking of the parts he liked and parts he disliked, his mind already thinking of ways to improve the likes and use or eradicate the dislikes.

The Power groaned and sent more power hoping that the influence would push the pawn back onto his previously usable path. It didn't work and now the pawn was completely off the board it would never experience the desire to learn of the supernatural. That meant he'd just eliminated their and the Infernals ability to manipulate or influence the pawn's life.

As it stood now the geek would make loads of money and have sex with the machine girlfriend until the end of his very long and fulfilling life. It even appeared that he would fall in love with the sentient AI and spawn a melded AI that uses his DNA to provide a random programming fault that would give the 'offspring' a merge of human and machine traits.

It had change Warren's life. Despite the intent Yutide had acted with, his power was based in love, joy, fulfillment, and sacrifice which meant the misogynist born of lust and anger was never even close to the surface.

The Power screamed in frustration when he looked at the general path of the former usable Pawn of the enemy's. He let his anger get the better of him and as he was alone in the Board Room he smashed the board to smithereens. Within seconds the board reassembled itself and seemed to sparkle with new power as though it was taunting the Power.

Warren's mystical change and careful manipulation by the Lesser Infernal Power named Sigmund had was now for naught and it really pissed off the ITB. In eliminating the Pawn the PTB eliminated the ITB's usefulness in the current scheme of things. The other ITBs were shocked at the play and surprised they'd not considered this tactic.

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The phone range and Giles headed over to the library phone and answers it, with a crisp professional tone, "Rupert Giles speaking."

"What?" he was shocked. His voice held a barely suppressed anger, "Mr. Zabuto is there a reason I was not notified of this right away?"

A moment later the anger was still there but his words were overly polite. "I see, then I must go, good day to you Mr. Zabuto."

"Kendra is on her way here; the statue we are looking for is Acathla. Xander would you mind terribly picking up supper from that palace place; the Double Meat Palace?"

"Sure G-man" he said and Giles handed him two twenties.

"Kendra is most assuredly going to be hungry it is a very long flight."

Xander nodded get three slayer specials instead of two. He usually ate loads as well. He smiled at the mental work Xander was doing.

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While Xander was out, he stopped at home to let Angel know what was going on. "Kendra arrived today. At least the Council let Giles know this time even if it was at the last minute."

Angel lifted an eyebrow. It wasn't just the information; it was Xander coming to relay it instead of just waiting. Of course the information was good as well, he didn't hold any grudged against the dark skinned slayer, but he really would have preferred to have her stake him to trusting the human scum Willy to leave him in the cage and not free him later. Of course that's only with the thinking of him not having a soul.

"Anything else I should know?" he asked the young man.

Angel has suddenly understood, _**'He's always kept the girls away from his home, no his parents. That is a good reason to let me know what's going on and come to do it himself rather than having one the girls think they should do it.'**_

Xander nodded to the vampire with a soul, "We're getting together at the library about sundown or shortly after. You might want to head there as soon as you can." He glanced at the door that faced the morning sun and Angel nods.

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Angel was about to leave Xander's basement still cognizant of Xander's last visit, _**'Even if he just didn't want to have to follow me there, or he didn't want the girls around his father, it was still a bit too kind for Xander. Maybe I should check the doorway for pranks.'**_

Angel wasn't sure, but then again after he checked the door he started to walk to the library mindful about Xander's recent alteration to his modus operandi. _**'Xander's always gone out of his way to annoy me. Now he was going out of his way, even if a little bit to be nice to me. Is he suffering a bout of niceness?' **_He'd asked himself and smiled slightly. _**'If that's what it is, I'm not about to complain.'**_ The fact that he had been inside the boy's head and even now felt lingering energy from the strength of the boy's emotions, he couldn't simply pass the boy off.

'_**Xander's force of will was like nothing I've felt before. In fact all of Xander's emotions were extremely strong, stronger than I've ever felt. That includes that gut wrenching fear he feels when facing a vampire, or when he does it with one of the girls around, and I've had my share of tasting fear, at least as Angelus I have. I use… no not me… Angelus found fear to be intoxicating and had studied it like a geek would a comic.'**_

The demon had so enjoyed that feeling along side the feeling of having the power to cause that fear. Xander's fear was stronger but still was not enough to immobilize or scare him off. Angel knew that the only way for a master vampire to ever enthrall the boy would be the use of blood. Xander had such a wide variety of emotions that it would be difficult for a master vampire to ever overcome those emotions in him.

There were times that Angelus had used the thrall to great affect aside from fear, and in those times he'd more than once ran across anomalies that had a wide variance of emotions like Xander did but even they did not have a tenth of strength of feeling Xander possessed in most of his emotions. Usually when someone had conflicting emotions they fight against their influence and weaken, but even then it was next to impossible to thrall them as their emotions creep up on them. He could just picture Angelus trying to enthrall Xander and shook his head in amusement.

A few times Angelus has thought of doing a blood thrall on a woman, but if it worked they never acted normal afterwards and were of no use. Angelus had never wanted to create a ghoul. When a ghoul is created they share emotions with their master which goes both ways even if one is subservient to the other.

Usually a vampire can control the thrall, the ghoul, but the emotions are still there according what he understood and the idea that any vampire would share emotions constantly with someone that had that many that strong made Angel think of the three stooges played by a vampire and two of its minions, just to try and make Xander laugh so they didn't have to feel his darker emotions eclipse their own.

As Angel entered the library he paused, Dawn was here.

"Hey Dawn" he said softly.

She tuned and smiled forced. She didn't like him, he knew that instantly but at least she would tolerate him it seemed.

She looked around and glared at him. "You hurt my sister I'll make sure your ash is so spread out they'll never be able to find two specks of ash to put together." She said and nodded with a smile. He shivered he wasn't sure why people thought he would hurt her.

"It's good to see you here." He said softly.

She nodded with a smile. "Good to be seen… finally." She sighed, "They've been working researching on Drusilla, the stone demon, Acathla according to Giles. He got a call from some Zabuto guy and Kendra the Jamaican slayer is here with a sword."

He nodded, he knew some of that but not about Acathla; looking around it seemed the library was almost empty so he asks, "Where is everyone?"

"Buffy and Kendra are doing a quick patrol around the factory area. Xander and the two slayers spent some of the daylight hours to recon the neighboring buildings with no luck, they thought that with a stone statue of a demon it wouldn't be moved far and hoped that once night fell some vampires might return by accident. I know Xander mentioned burning them out during the day but without knowing where their new digs are that's not going to happen. They did have Buffy confirm that the factory was where Dru was in her dream. I think she was hoping her latest dream would have some hint on where she's moved to."

Curiously he asked, "The statue wasn't there?" double checking. He'd not thought to check when they looked before and was cursing internally. At least he wasn't the only one, he was sure Xander was too.

Dawn shook her head, "It was cleared out, but Xander is on his way back now. He said he was stopping at Willow's on the way." she frowned and asked him, "Willow and Cordy went home just after lunch, they spent most of the day together; isn't that weird to you?"

He raised an eyebrow and nodded. It was indeed strange as normally they were at each others throats.

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Xander entered the library in a daze. He'd stopped by Willow's to talk to her and ask why Cordy had stayed the night. Her parents were absent so he'd entered the house the way he'd usually done and headed up the stairs. This wasn't any different than normal. What he saw shocked him and made him a bit upset at first.

Cordy was sitting on Willow's bed with her arms around Willow. They were kissing and it seemed the hands were a bit wilder than Cordy had been with him. He was both sad and turned on; he wasn't sure what to do so he left silently. His solider skills and hyena abilities had been pulled to the surface so it was natural for him to move silently and with the shadows. His skills played a nice part earlier with the recon.

"Xander, are you alright? Where're Willow and Cordy?"

"I'm sure they'll be coming soon. I didn't want to interrupt them."

Dawn nodded and went over and hugged him; he looked like he needed it and she'd still been high from all the physical affection she'd been receiving lately.

"You know," she said with an asking tone, "after we deal with this stupid stoned demon, do you want to catch a movie?"

He looked shocked and slightly amused that she had no problem talking to him as a dating interest regardless of his being a year older. "I'd like that but I think if I accepted, I would end up hurting someone I care for.

Dawn nods but before she can say something a voice from the doorway interrupted them, it was Cordy's voice, "Just go out with her already, Xander!"

He turned shocked she was there.

She crossed her arms and said, "You won't hurt me by accepting, unless you're in broom closets or stacks with some other girl and haven't told me?"

After talking with Willow she'd found she was just as turned on by the thought of kissing Xander as she was of the thought of Xander kissing Willow.

"No" he said, shocked that she was being so open about sharing their status.

Agitated, Cordelia asks him, "I thought you were going to stop by Willow's!?"

Willow nodded though she was flushed.

He looked down and said, "I did."

She sighs and says fondly, "Dufus," before complaining, "You could have made some noise and joined in."

She'd had it all planned out and he'd gone and ruined a perfect penthouse set up. Angel looked at the two sniffed the air and glanced at Xander and Dawn.

"Joined in?" Dawn asked and her eyes widened. "You caught them in bed together?" she had a sparkle in her eyes as she asked, "And you still turned me down after that? Are you two dating?"

Cordy smiled, "Not quite yet, we're just in the kissing and groping stage."

Dawn nodded pleased with the bluntness of the older girl. "It's a good stage so when did you start doing that with girls too?"

Just then Buffy and Kendra entered the library. Dawn interrupted whatever Cordelia's response, "Never mind I'll talk with you later. Sometimes, some people need a smack to the back of the head to understand blatant invitations." She told her fondly glancing at Xander.

Xander and Buffy seemed to take on an offended air and spoke in unison the same words of denial. "I so don't!"

They both turned and looked at the other, Buffy blinked in surprise, and Angel laughed… loudly. The laughter died almost instantly as he grabbed his chest in pain that would have been akin to an elderly man's cardiac arrest.

"Angel?" Buffy rushed to him. "Angel, are you alright?"

"I think so. That didn't feel too good! I felt burning like I was touching a blessed cross but deeper in." He rubbed his chest.

"What do you think it is?" Buffy was mother hen now.

"I don't know but it's gone now. There's an echo of the pain, but I really can't feel it now."

He didn't say the pain was still lingering strongly for his demon to feel. He smiled and shook his head. "We need to deal with the stone statue."

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Xander was confused and a bit worried. He'd come in three hours ago, Angel collapsed three hours ago, and the girls started giggling in the corner – yes, three hours ago. Cordy, Willow, and Dawn were there solidly. They would look his way and giggle as they whispered back and forth. Buffy had gone over and had come away minutes later shell-shocked, that was about two and a half hours ago or just longer. Since then Buffy had kept glancing at him with worried and awed expressions.

Angel had kept his slight smile on his face during these last three hours but Xander wasn't sure if the smile was because of what he was able to eavesdrop or some other odd reason, but he was sure the vampire was taking a delight in a younger man's confusion. Xander had no way of knowing that Angel's smile was over the demon feeling a constant pain that he didn't feel, but it had taken some time to realize the difference between himself feeling it and the demon feeling it.

Kendra had joined the three gigglers about two hours ago, when she first got back. She'd gone with Giles to pick up a few books he'd had at home. Since she'd been added to the corner of giggling girls she hasn't left. Her glances in his direction were followed shortly by her blushes.

Giles and Miss Calendar had ignored it, though Jenny had glanced a few times at Xander with a small knowing smile although she seemed to show more relief in it than anything else. Giles had been stern in his performance of ignoring of the four girls conversation topic. Xander was sure from the looks he's snuck of his mentor that there was a soft smirk playing at the corner of his lips.

They finally found a few things.

"It seems that the reason is lost but the spell recently ended on Dawn was a very powerful spell and it was tied into her magic. She was born with magic and had ever since but the spell was to make sure she had little influence on the changing life around her."

Sounding hurt, Dawn asks, "Why would someone do that to me?"

"My guess is that you would have had an extremely high impact on your sister's calling from the start and those that put the spell on you did not think that it would ever be broken."

Willow asked curious "Why was it broken, I mean can we tell that magically?"

"I believe we can determine if the break was purposeful and if so the motivation behind the break but that will not be today. I will need to etch runes into a wooden slab and then rub a few drops of her blood into the runes just before the rising of the light on the day before the sun is at its highest so before summer solstice." Giles said and they nodded.

"It's not a priority right now" Jenny spoke up, "Right now we need to find out why Angel's been in pain, what causes it, and deal with Acathla."

Kendra nodded her agreement and spoke with an accent. "The dream seemed to be directed at de statue and de sword."

"I don't know" Xander spoke up and Giles looked over at him. "I mean, it's stone right now, right?" Xander asked, he felt useful the last few days and his confidence was inspiring his forthright nature and unique thinking.

"Yes Xander." Giles nodded, and asked, "What do you have in mind, lad?"

Before he could answer he added a reminder of his last suggestion, "Flash powder worked marvelously with the arm belonging to the Judge."

Xander smiled. "Nitroglycerin or dynamite should work but I don't want to look up the steps to make Nitroglycerin and if I remember right there were warnings enough to detour even Jesse" he smiled slightly, "I was thinking of sneaking into the army redoubt near the edge of town. They should have some 'ground to air' missile launchers. We could drag the statue out to the middle of nowhere before we just blow it up."

Kendra blinked and looked at Cordy who was smiling and then at Willow who glanced at her and smiled herself. Dawn was the one that moved first and she hugged Xander.

"You're a genius." The youngest girl there claimed before adding, "If you can pull it off."

"I think I can if…" He glances at Willow and Cordy.

Seeing the look he was sending her Cordy asks, "What is dweeb boy?"

He could hear the husky tone she used when she said _dweeb_.

"I need you to dress like Harmony would and have some car trouble right near the edge of the redoubt just a ways away from the armory."

She looked offended but then gave him a shark-like smile. "Come on Willow, Dawn; you two are coming with me!"

Xander looked shocked at the declaration but nodded half shrugging. "I need Willow to use her hacking skills and shut off the silent alarm notices on the Armory, should be easier than the morgue."

Willow gave him a look that he took for affirmative, it wasn't quite a nod but as she grabbed her laptop…

Giles saw Xander's look as the boy turned towards him with an open mouth, as if to ask or say something; with a smirk Giles beat him to the punch, "I don't want to know!"

Somehow Xander knew that Giles was telling him he didn't want to know about the sudden giggling girls go in groups.

Kendra smirked sexually at the boy and tried to make her voice sound as husky and sexual as she could, "What do you need me for, Xander?"

He closed his eyes, knowing she was teasing. Buffy burst out laughing and buried her face into Angel's chest. He winced momentarily as the pain solidified in his demon again.

He widened his eyes, mumbling in shock, "My heart just had two beats."

Buffy eyes suddenly widened, she smiled and said, "I heard them!"

"I've never felt that before. It felt… strange" he said. "I think now that I've felt it. I might have had a single beat of a few times the last few hours. I wonder if that was the pain." He said trailing off.

"Maybe it was part of the curse against your demon?" offered Xander. "Becoming human, or more human? I would think a vampire would hate that."

Angel smiled. "Maybe you're right, Xander." He smirked, "If that's the case it's Angelus that's in pain, what could hurt worse than a heart beat? That's about as lively as life energy can get inside the heart without dusting a vampire. I mean the heart the center of the demon's power and life energy there usually destroys the demon."

He nodded, "I need wheels unless, Angel do you think you could give us hand and run the launcher quickly out of sight?"

He nodded but Kendra spoke up pouting just a bit at the distraction, "I will go as well!"

Xander smiled and nodded. "I may need help inside, too. So you can be inside with me."

She smiled widely. Buffy blinked in shock; there was most defiantly a sexual purr about Kendra's smile.

Kendra announced, "I must go change into…" she paused and looked at Xander with twinkling brown almost black eyes and asked, "black?"

Xander nodded and she left. Giles had to ask, though not with any intent aside from teasing Xander, "Xander you didn't cast some spell to get all the girls to notice you did you?" His smirk was showing thought.

Buffy burst out laughing as Xander rapidly shook his head. "I've been with Cordy for a short time now. I went to Willow's earlier today, I hadn't even realized Cordelia was going to be there, though I guess I ought to have. They were making out on her bed." He said blandly. "Of course now, in hindsight I suppose that it would have been better to have made a bit of noise when I caught them out. Cordy said something about me joining in."

Buffy stopped laughing, her eyes wide with shock and her voice breaks as she asks, "Joining in?"

Xander smirked at her as Angel laughed at their interaction.

Xander shrugs, his smirk fading to a soft smile, "I really don't mind. I care for them both even if in slightly different ways. But I'm officially worried. Cordy was enough for me and now she seems to want Willow and if I'm not mistaken she was encouraging me to accept a date with Dawn. That doesn't even mention Kendra." He gestures with an almost panicked arm movement then sighed and slumped and whined out, "Why are they doing this to me?"

Buffy giggles into Angel's chest again. Angel felt his heart beat and smiled at the feeling and the top of Buffy's head.

There was a soft smile on vampire's lips and he turned up to face Xander. "Xander, I recommend that you let them set the pace. I made loads of mistakes with Buffy thinking to separate myself from her and I now see that was hurting her and me."

Xander nodded and Buffy looked doe eyes from Angel to Xander. The eyes were for Angel regardless of her glancing at him.

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Cordy, Willow, and Dawn were at the Chase Manor. "I can't believe he walked in on us and left." Willow moaned, "Am I that un-sexy like?" she asked the two girls.

Dawn giggled.

"I don't think so" Cordy said, "Though I have to admit that the kissing a girl was a new thing for me. It was much less passion to begin with;" she added, "but it felt just as nice. It was only lacking passion until…" she licked her lips.

"Xander got me hot and bothered with verbal sparing. The kissing was a release to a point. Though it made it build up faster every time." She smirked at Willow who was flushed while Dawn found it amusing.

Willow asks still flushed, "So why did he leave?"

Dawn answers her softly, "I don't think he realized he was invited and thought he was intruding. He looked heartbroken when he came into the library."

Cordy groaned and glared at Dawn.

"What?" she asked.

"Did you have to tell me that?" she whined, "I might admit he's likable and I have a thing for him but to know he wasn't going to interfere _and_ was heartbroken…" her last word sounded more like a shriek before she let it trail off and pulled out a miniskirt handing it to Dawn, "This should fit you!"

It was obviously punishment for point out the facts and Dawn blanched at the size of it and hisses, "Fine."

The three were dressed like sluts to the extreme. Willow was in red and Dawn was in blue to complement her eyes what little of it was there. Willow had stockings and a belt for a skirt. Cordy had a skin tight leather skirt and stockings. But her blouse was leather too and it was just as tight.

Dawn licked her lips. "You know if you two kiss while waiting for the guard to distract, it would work out really well." She mentally added, _**'For me.'**_

The other two looked at Dawn with utter shock at the arousal her voice seemed to relay. All the attention so suddenly, the giggling in the corner, and the sharing of very personal opinions, had Dawn very horny and she currently didn't really care if it was Xander or one of the girls that caused it or helped relieve it.

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Willow and surprisingly Dawn had worked on the laptop to hack into the base's computer system. Dawn was very good and working together gave Dawn a chance to test the waters. She was the first to tell you that she wasn't all together the most stable and balanced persona, she'd been utterly lonely all her life and this was really the first time she had a chance to _live_ among others.

"Alright we're ready" Cordy said to Xander.

He turned and closed his eyes quickly before nodding almost eagerly. The girls all giggled.

"I too am ready and waiting" Kendra said from the corner, she was dressed in a black _skin tight_ outfit.

He asks the three girls dressed in sexually appealing clothing, "You know what to do?"

The girls all shrugged.

Xander sighs, "You drive to about fifty feet from the guard shack, get out, and lower the air pressure in the car tire; one of the back ones on the side facing the armory."

Cordy nods and offers. "And then giggle and show him we appreciate his help?"

"Yes, make sure he's completely diverted for twenty minutes or so."

They nod; as they leave Willow flushes red muttering. "I don't know if I can do this, Cordy."

With a smirk Cordelia tells her, "You don't have to." Willow however knows that if she doesn't then the meaning of that smirk was, '_you_ _lose'_. That meant she had to.

Dawn spoke reassuringly, "Just relax, Willow."

They get into Cordy's car, all the front seat and start to drive slowly. This had two purposes; one was to give Xander, Kendra, and Angel time to get there but the other was also to give them-selves time to work up the relaxed courage to ignore the presence of another un-trusted male.

Cordy had been feeling bold ever sense she had agreed to kiss Willow waiting for Xander to show up. It hadn't worked out like she thought it would but she'd been turned on then and not shut off since.

Cordelia had one hand on the wheel, her left. Her right was stretched over a bit and resting on Willow's inner thigh. Willow wasn't complaining. She's long passed conscious thought and was moaning in need. Cordy moved her right hand up and down Willow's thigh agitating the redhead's state of being. Willow's UST (Unresolved Sexual Tension) was being resolved almost violently from Cordelia overloading her physical senses.

Dawn was on Willow's right side and both of her hands were on Willow's right leg. She and Cordy together had succeeded in spreading Willow's legs apart, exposing the redhead's soaked panties. Dawn was not as bold as Cordy and wasn't playing with the upper thigh. She was instead playing with Willow's knee.

Suddenly Cordy had her hand over Willow's panties and was rubbing up and down over the moist area. Willow was moaning; she was so close to an orgasm right then and there that she didn't care where they were. That's when Cordy stopped and popped the trunk giving Dawn's leg a good feel as she got to the glove box. She left the two in the car all wound up.

Before she moved out of sight, Cordy turned to Dawn, "Keep her worked up will you?"

If she'd thought a week ago she was lesbian she'd have freaked but for some reason she didn't mind and the thought of Willow and Xander or Xander and Dawn or Willow and Dawn turned her on.

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Cordy had let the air out and got the tire and jack out when she saw Xander and the other two ready.

She skulked up to the gate, "Hey, you mind helping a few girls out Mr. Soldier man?"

He looked out. Cordy had a bit of tire smudge on her forehead. He looked over and sure enough there was car with an obvious flat.

Jack Smith smiled and nodded. "Sure thing lass, let me grab my flashlight."

Cordy smiled gratefully.

There were two guards on duty at any given time of night. One was roaming and the other was always in guard shack. If they were going to sneak in they'd have to worry about the roaming challenge but going in the front negated that guard easily. Jack Smith kept an eye on the three girls and on anyone coming by, just in case. He never saw the three shadows move past him easily.

Jack Smith had introduced himself and the girls had giggled, they were a distraction on a boring night but they were jailbait enough that his suspicion hadn't raised a bit. It was quite a while before he got the tire changed and he smiled at the job well done.

"You young ladies have a good night get some air and that there tire and get it checked out." He told her and Cordy nodded and kissed his cheek. Jack might have been a strong middle-aged man of high morals but he wasn't immune to their affects. He went back to his post blushing like a school girl and getting razed by the roaming guard switching posts.

Willow was so worked up when the three got back into the car that she grabbed Cordy's hand and shoved it into her wet waiting center.

"Not until we get Xander alone." She said.

Willow whined piteously and pouted the entire return trip to the library.

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Xander and Kendra made their way to the armory sticking to the shadows and trailed by Angel; the vampire claimed he'd wanted to give them some privacy in a facetious tone.

Xander entered the key-code into the number-pad by the door and Kendra's eyebrow lifted, he didn't notice nor did he realize the solider in his head was someone that shouldn't really have been able to gain a master access code for anything much less an armory for a base he'd never set foot on.

Getting _into_ the building was somehow anticlimactic; Kendra had kept an eye out upon approach and as he was entering the code and there had been no surprises.

"This is what we need." He patted the box and intoned, "This is a FGM 148; a Javelin."

It was more like a crate than a box and it weighed more than Xander thought. Before he got to the door Kendra's voice interpreted him as she took in the weapons, "What are these?"

Kendra had never seen some of them but they were screaming at her to pick them up and play with them.

"Those are hand guns." He told her and then looking closer he sounded surprised, "That row is a Glock 18's. It's the only Glock to be a machine pistol. I'm surprised they have them here. That row is MP5Ns; they're normally used only for Spec Ops and shouldn't be here either. That's a row of Beretta Nines, sorry M9's." He pointed, "Those are M11's also called SIG P228's. This is a row of M1911, that's P-90s, and these locked boxes at the end of the rows are ammo boxes for weapons in their rows."

Kendra had a gleam in her eyes. "We should grab some while we are here."

Xander hesitated but sighed, "We'll need to grab one from each row to keep it even." He shivered, "They will notice this but if they don't right away then they shouldn't be able to time it down without serious investigation. Investigation in Sunnydale isn't going to happen not with the Sunnydale effect."

She nodded and opened the crate with the Javelin. They put one of each hand gun, a number of rifles or carbines whatever they were called. He put in a grenade launcher both an M203 and another that he didn't know the name of. It was stuffed and Xander couldn't lift it without extreme strain. She giggled at his attempted manliness and lifted it for him.

Xander picked up a large canvas bag and collected couple of the officer's swords, large combat knives including a K-bar and bayonet. He added to that a few M18A2 Claymores he slung it over his shoulder, grabbed an M84, and put in a few M116A2 hand grenades before he strapped three medium sided cases that held some kind of optics. He wondered if they'd catch on first to the missing weapons or the night vision and heat sensor specs.

"We've been here too long; we need to hurry." He said as he piled the things he'd picked up and strapped on, to the top of the case. The girl smiled and pulled him into a kiss and nodded. He was shocked and dazed as he left slowly following the girl carrying close to four hundred pounds of weapons.

Angel was a great help and they rushed away just in time.

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	5. 5: Hunting, Targeting, Glory, and Justic

The Scooby Gang

Book I: Buffy vs. Powers

Disclaimer: I have no property rights to any published or copyrighted material that is reserved to those that make money from ideas which I do not.

Summery: This is the first book in a series. This takes place in a Buffy-Parallel verse that things happened a bit differently than they did in Cannon.

Warning: Multi Ship M/FFF ahead!

CHAPTER 5: Hunting, Targeting, Glory, and Justice (Demons)

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"Do you have it?" Giles and Jenny were in the library.

Buffy was with her mother. The fair-haired slayer had planned to do another run through of the factory area before hitting a longer patrol route while the others were stuck with the books but mother called the library, well called Willow's and it was forwarded to the library.

Angel sighs, "That and more!"

With a grunt he and Kendra placed the large box of weapons on the floor of the library and he turns to Xander, "I thought the plant was for you to pick up a rocket launcher not stalk an armory?"

Xander smiled and laughed as Kendra stammers, then kindly, mostly directed to Kendra he says, "I think we'll be able to use most of what we have."

Kendra flushed.

Looking around Xander asks, "Where's Buffy? Is she patrolling Drusilla's area, again?" He'd expected her here worrying about it going right.

"No" Giles said with a smile, "She's at the mall with her mother; she forgot her birthday shopping trip."

Xander grins a moment before smirking, "I'll have to tease her about that."

Giles groaned.

"Did everything come out alright?" Willow asked coming in, she was still dressed all sexy like and Xander turned to answer then froze.

Cordelia followed her in and smirks, "I think he likes the outfit Willow!"

She could also tell that Xander was quite aware that Willow was extremely aroused.

Dawn adds, "Of course he does, he does have a pulse; he's almost seventeen so there's no doubt on that."

Cordelia frowned a moment in thought, "I thought he was already seventeen."

"Nope," Willow shook her head, "August fifteenth!" That was his birthday and Cordy looked surprised.

Having not thought of the actual age of Xander the date reminded her of something, "That means he's six months younger than Buffy and only a year older than me?"

Cordy nodded and licked her lips. "We can go change if you want dear" she said to Xander then added impishly, "Maybe after we sort thru the loot?"

He nodded not trusting himself to speak.

Dawn went over to him as though it was natural, snapped out her lightsaber, and fried the lock off.

Seeing the damage Xander whines, "I had the key!"

Dawn blushes, "Sorry."

Giles was staring at the Lightsaber Dawn put it away; his voice broke, "How did you get a lightsaber?"

Xander suddenly had wide eyes as did Willow.

Dawn blushes, "I got it for Halloween, if you must know."

Giles sighed and silently cursed Ethan.

Xander was unsure if he was cursing him for providing it or because he didn't get one himself.

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Buffy came back worried. Seeing her sister stressed, Dawn asks "What's wrong Buffy?"

"Mom collapsed at the Mall, she's in the hospital." She said worried then growled, "I'm not sure what's wrong and the doctors aren't talking."

Xander frowned. "Giles" he asks whispering as Dawn and Buffy huddled worriedly. "Do you think this is just a coincidence?"

"I'm not sure, Xander" he said, removing his glasses and giving a tired and worried sigh as he polished them. "I am unsure why anyone would want to cause this."

Xander offered up an explanation softly so as not to interrupted Buffy and Dawn, "If the slayer, or her sister who we've already determined was essential to Buffy's destiny or our own, was to suddenly be lacking a guardian, who would be responsible for her, them?"

Giles eyes widened and he cursed, "Bloody Hell." Not just the situation but that he'd not seen it.

Buffy looked up and asked, "What?"

Giles ignored her for a moment, "Jenny" Janna turned, "Would you and Willow please work on some type of mystical protection, perhaps some kind of amulet? Also if you are at all familiar with ways to check if an illness is caused form some sort of curse or something supernatural, I would greatly appreciate it."

Buffy looked at Giles shocked furious. "You think…" she started. "I want to hit something."

Before Xander could get volunteered to hold the pads she was likely destroy he offered up with hurried voice, "Maybe you should spar with Angel?"

Angel glared at him mildly.

Xander added, "After you get your reflex controlled I'm sure Kendra would spar with you."

Angel's glare didn't lessen.

Giles smiled at Xander and offered his opinion, "That's a wonderful idea, Xander."

Giles hadn't wanted to hold the pads of an angry slayer either and Angel sighed knowing he was outnumbered. He and Buffy moved to clear the area.

While they were clearing the area Xander recommended, "Just don't use wood."

Angel didn't glare at Xander this time, simply nodded while they finished clearing a larger area of the library. Giles smirked at Xander and the girls all grinned.

Xander told Giles, "We need to have place they can go. Dawn?" he turned in her direction.

Dawn turned to him and asked, "Yes sweaty?"

He closed his eyes for a moment then said, "You need to stay with one of the girl's. It'd be best if it were Willow." She nodded not even questioning it. He turned to Giles, "Do we have any idea where Drusilla is?"

As they were talking he grabbed a book almost reluctantly. Giles easily let the younger man direct the lead. Watchers were supposed to be there for their slayers; they weren't trained as team leaders neither were they often skilled tacticians; those were traits which seemed to be making their presence known in Xander.

Giles was aware that the occasional hypnosis could have possessions traits returned in force and Xander had told him Angel used the whammy… He wasn't going to squabble over the idea that Xander should do as he was told and not do the telling, not when he had such marvelous ideas.

Giles shook his head. "No, and Willow and Jenny haven't been able to locate her using magic either."

"Would they be able to do that with the statue?"

Again he shook his head negative, "They even tried things that belonged to them. There is a high probability that Drusilla has masked their location by means of mystical enchantment."

They read to the sounds of Buffy and Angel sparring for a short time before Xander speaks up again, "I wonder if Angel could try and find her by smell or using the sire bond."

Giles smirked at Angel and Buffy's direction thankful that he wasn't holding pads for those blows. "I will ask him after Buffy beats him sufficiently to end this round."

Angel was in the process of getting his ass handed to him before he was completely knocked out. Kendra pulled him out of the area while smiling in anticipation as she started to stretch a bit. Xander groaned and Giles look up at him.

"What is it?"

"Kendra kissed me in the middle of the heist and I don't know who to blame."

He smirks surprised and nods with a gleam then asks almost roguishly, "Blame or thank?"

Xander glances from the sparing to the other girls and almost petulantly says, "Both!"

Giles laughs but nods, moving over to Angel he shook him awake, "Angel?"

Angel groaned and awake now he looks at Giles and quite obviously states, "Giles, Buffy really hits hard when she's pissed."

Giles nods. "She does! Xander thought of a method we've not yet tried to locate Drusilla; do you think you'd be able to find her using the sire bond or her scent?"

Angel nods wincing in pain and letting out a piteous moan unconsciously when he voice his agreement to try, "I can try, Giles. Drusilla is smart enough to cover her tracks though, at least when she needs to. There's no telling if she actually did this time."

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In the PTB's ethereal plane, Jasmine spoke up, "D'Hoffryn is sending someone however I had to agree he could collect a soul under our charge."

"That's fine he'll have red witch," Yutide said, "She is malleable enough; once her friends and she die she will look at it as righting a wrong."

Jasmine didn't think this was going to work but held her metaphoric tongue and instead asked, "What of Acathla?"

Grudle spoke up, "The vision I sent to Miss Edith for the vampire should have had her gathering the ensouled one under her control. I am unsure why that failed. Our observation on the group is lessening too much to tell. We need another agent in their ranks to see past the chaos."

Jasmine nodded, "The seer half-breed, can we send him to the Hellmouth with a vision?"

Grudle answered, "Possible but it will put him at risk before his time.

Yutide told them, "As long as we're able to scry out the details of own players on the board once again, I do not think it matters. Our strategy is ousted at this stage."

The others growled at the wasted effort but consensus was met.

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In LA the half brachen named Doyle, Allen Frances Doyle, woke with an extreme pain centered in his forehead. He'd had visions before but none this strong. He shook off the pain best he could and grabbed a note pad. It took a minute to focus and he realized why he was in so much pain; he had a hangover. He got started writing down the information received from the damned powers.

The PTBs were looking at their piece in utter betrayal.

"Is there a reason it took such a minuscule amount of power to infuse the symbiote with so much vision?" Grudle asked Jasmine and Yutide.

Jasmine shook her head as Yutide answered his question with a growl that not a kind one, "Not that I'm aware of." The growl hadn't been hers alone, it had been shared by the other Powers there.

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Sigmund the ITB, formerly Warren Mears's handler, cackled and snickered at a job well done. The former path of the Doyle pawn was now going to eventually be lost to the Powers. It didn't matter to him that the demon half breed seer would be lost to the board but still alive, it was only that the pawn was lost to the PTBs. The self sacrificing taint to the demonic energy had the effect of purifying it. Unlike the power the PTBs put into their motivational interference the ITBs had a versatility and variant flexibility with how their powers influence the targets. This meant they could, on occasion, send a blessing to the empowered.

"It serves them right for interfering with my only pawn." He said to nobody but his own small scrying circle. "I had deals on the table to rent Warren to three separate demon lords! As luck would have it I only need to return a few minor abilities and won't have to forfeit any penalties" he shivered. "But returning power I've grown use to is never a pleasant feeling." He glared at the vague outline of the PTB's power off the edge of the scrying circle.

He recalled when he had to forfeit the powers back to the lords; he wasn't the only one upset. Little Miss First was extremely twiggy and Wolfram and Hart were also none too pleased. Sigmund himself had some plans for some of Warren's designs. Not only that but he was going to gain two pawns from Warren and now that was lost as well.

If shooting a small amount of power into an enemies' pawn at the exact moment they were using him was able to eliminate their control over it. Well he'd do it just to spite them even if it meant his own side lost some of his own importance. After all demons never had been a united front. He'd been watching the board to test the idea and now that he had he would soon share this with the more neutral demons.

Of course this meant they'd lose any influence or sight on the pieces they had on the board. Sigmund was already losing sight on the piece and that meant that the Powers would soon be in the same boat.

Sigmund's Board was extremely small but the area of observation for the one area of the board could become extremely detailed. Of course there were drawbacks as the small board lacked power that the larger boards held.

"Now," he said with a contented growl the spoke of self gratification, "To find a partner I can lend my meager power to and stick a thorn in their side."

He ended the scrying circle and took his portable board before vanishing from the observation realm.

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The PTBs didn't much care for the results of their honest attempts to manipulate the board. The only thing that seemed to work at all was dealing with the nonentity of Joyce Summers; she wasn't even aware of the supernatural much less that her death was to be caused the product of supernatural interference in the natural order of things. It made the results feel utterly empty.

Yutide commanded Grudle, "Send another vision to Miss Edith. Show her all that we can about the group."

Grudle did so and watched the board as the two pawns. One of the pawns was only minimally subjected to their power and influence. It was meant to get them to do good things. The two vampires seemed to pull together but instead of strengthening they were both weaker for it.

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"Spike" Drusilla whined, "Miss Edith doesn't like this."

Spike looked at her, "Like what ducks?"

"Kitten and the nasty slayer who took daddy away know of my present." She whines as she pats it, "They aren't bringing my cutting sword, go get it for me."

Spike sighed and nodded. He wheeled out of the room leaving Dru to a tea party with Miss Edith.

"You two," he said not remembering their names. "I need you to go get me some blood, and then I need you to sneak into the library and collect a particular sword, hell get all of them if you can." No need to tell them which library as it was obvious to any vampire in his group that he meant the high school library.

"Right Spike" said the one on the left but he was dumber than a doornail.

"I'll bring back the blood while Tom here gets the swords."

Spike nodded he needed blood to heal.

"Make sure it's fresh this time and take the cooler to get some dry ice before you get the blood."

"Right" he said and realized they were buying it or getting bags.

The blood was easy to collect from the hospital; a white coat and a drained orderly were enough. The strange thing occurred when the vampire went to leave. He was attacked by an invisible demon. It wasn't that big of a deal but the thing seemed to want to kill him and it was invisible. The vampire drained it dry and snapped its neck, never realizing that he'd killed Der Kindestod that had mistaken him for the name on his coat; Dr. Backer.

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Angel came in, "I think I know where Dru is."

It was Sunday evening, late. He'd stayed all day in Xander's basement, and headed out as the sun was going down. Luck would have it the basement had its own exit, he thought of his own father back in 1753, before he was turned, and shook his head at another similarity though Xander hadn't taken the path he had instead he stalked vampires, and staked them.

Willow asks "Where is she?"

The five girls had stayed at Willow's house much to Giles amusement.

"I felt her presence when I ran thru town. She's somewhere near Crawford Street and I think she's using magic to try and stop me from feeling her. Would you check on the computer, search for places that are abandoned in that area?"

Willow nodded and opened up her laptop. "I'll check the tax records first for anything unpaid due to probate."

Xander came in a few moments later slightly out of breath and glared at Angel who smiled slightly, he'd forgotten Xander was shadowing him. The boy had slept for only a few hours and he knew he was tired. Xander sat and put his head down on the table. Cordy pulled him over to the couch. She sat pulling him down and put his head on her lap. Dawn picked up his feet and put them on her lap.

Buffy grinned at Willow who smiled at the display. A week ago Buffy was sure the redhead would have been green with envy. But the slumber party to help cheer her up had been quite… enlightening. Buffy knew Xander wasn't going to know what hit him.

Kendra pulled some of the books out and took them to the two girls before she started reading her own next to Willow. The group was researching protection magic, as well as demons that could affect health, natural health such as cancer or tumors. A visit to the hospital earlier that day, with Giles in tow, let them know that she had an MRI that showed a growth in her brain, it was inoperable. There was very little hope at this point that she would even wake up.

"Found four large places, places that could fit a statue inside." Willow said and put down the address, "But I think it's this one."

Xander sat up and sighed, he was tired. "So we go in and…" he didn't finish the sentence because the door flew open and a vampire rushed in.

It was a by chance thing that Angel was at the door, or maybe the vampire was just so stupid as to no check the room and rushed in without thought. Angel didn't even hesitate he simply slammed the stake home. It wasn't even a hit and block and they were all looking at the settling dust. Giles had a look that said he would have someone else clean it up.

"As I was saying" Xander said nonchalantly, "we go in armed and deal with the vampires first. When we clear the house then we take the statue out to the desert northeast of here, or southeast, and blow it up?"

Kendra spoke up with a tone that spoke of sex, or explosions, "Dat does sound good to me."

Giles voice stopped them before they could move, "Before we do that, we all know Drusilla is skilled with magic and has a strong ability to ensnare a mind."

Angel nodded his agreement with a touch of worry. "He's right; she only needs eye contact for very short time and even halfway strong wills will crumble."

Giles went on, "We've been looking for methods to protect our minds and Jenny has found a rune insignia which we can inscribe onto a wooden surface. For this we will be making use of a pencil and paper." He smirked, "We will use some tape to seal the graphite to the paper and put them in a pocket."

He was serious now as he explained, "This will only work for a few hours from the time we make them. After that the power fades out of the rune. Unless one of you has a skill in runes; to my knowledge nobody here has practiced them so I am at loss to tell if any of you have a talent with inscribing runes."

"That might be useful." Angel said thinking of the runic talent.

When Giles looked surprised, Angel elaborated, "If one of you are skilled with runes we should find a way to test that, later. Runes aren't one of the magical arts that have a corrupting influence and it works well to use with many types of protection magics."

Kendra nodded her agreement with the vampire, "Watcher Zabuto has used runes done by a hired witch to ward his home in Jamaica."

"Yes we will need to check but first let us each draw this symbol" he showed a large drawing on a poster board.

Each drew it and Giles suggested after seeing some of them, "Try and get it small enough to fit in your pocket without folding it. Jenny will go thru and put some thick clear tape on it after she's checked the power to make sure it will work."

Everyone did it, even Angel. They all worked the same it was just a simple yes or no and it would work for at least two hours maybe more. They made plans to check them again at least a half a day later to see if they'd held the power.

Xander started to load up a few of the magazines for the Glock 18 and the MP5N. Angel followed his lead and started to load some for the others. "Use the tracer rounds, they're the red coated ones, they should work against vampires, at least semi-effectively."

After they'd loaded the magazines they worked to load the three cars with different weapons.

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Willow had narrowed it down to a few houses which were likely when the first didn't pay off they had no trouble finding Dru's hideout. They took the vampires there by complete surprise. This may have been in part because Dru had no warning due to the runes they'd drawn and had on their persons. The runes, unknown to the group, also protected them from Drusilla's foresight.

The vampire with Spike's blood, Seymour, had returned not five minutes prior. The blood had already been stored in Spike's freezer, but only just.

Spike had wheeled his chair into the room; he looked down at his chest in shock and cursed, "Bloody Hell." The bullet had actually burned and with the third impact he felt his eyes widened at the heat before he dusted.

Dru shrieked with rage and Kendra moved quickly with a sword from the armory, it was an officers sword and extremely sharp for some reason. Dru's head bounced twice before the ash was blowing in the wind.

Xander's voice sounded, "Clear!" Then he slipped another magazine of tracer rounds into the Glock. He smiled at the others, "This thing works like dream."

Kendra looked at his direction and licked her lips with interest, whether it was interest in the Glock or him, he wasn't sure. He shivered as he felt some animalistic desire to mate fester just a bit.

Buffy said, "We should take that out of here!" gesturing to Acathla.

She tried to pick it up and her eyes bulged. She turned and with a whine in her voice she called out, "Kendra, could you help me? You too, Angel" she adds and the three all get together and are able to move it about a foot and groan. "How the hell did she get it in here?"

Xander spoke up with a bit of humor, "She probably used ropes and pulleys. I'd bet that the demon negates some of the supernatural strength you three have while you're inside its aura."

Angel and Buffy glare at him and he smiles.

"Why don't we try to shoot it? We can see if it does any damage." They nod and clear the area. The full spray managed to chip it good and he aimed at the neck. When he stops they come back out and examine it.

"I'm out of rounds, but maybe…" He smirks, "Why don't you three play with it with for a while? I'm going to go get the M16 and M84!" and left.

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Instead of getting the M16 Xander grabbed the M203; it was an M16 with the grenade launcher on it. His grin was telling as he grabbed the extra ammo and almost cursed, there were only six shells and it would likely take them all.

He made his way back to Cordy's car; she didn't even realize he'd taken it. He hoped she was at least slightly pissed. It always turned him on when she got prissy.

The drive back was short. Xander hauled the load into the mansion.

Cordy looked up and her eyes narrowed. Xander smiled causing her frown to change slightly to a smile even as she tried to fight it. Buffy had Dawn's Lightsaber in her hands trying to damage the stone demon some more but for some reason it was resistant unless she swung it fast and hard and it tended to bounce off. It felt to Buffy like she was swinging a rubber mallet at a steel wall several feet thick

"I got the M203 as well, anyone want a quick lesson on how to fire it?"

Giles groaned and smiled but everyone walked over, including Angel.

The short instructional bit was fun for all even Giles found Xander's quick and dirty talk about caring for the weapon and keeping it pointed safely away from non-targets to be memorable._** 'If he was teaching college he would likely make a good teacher, but as an elementary teacher he'd have law suits and gag orders.' **_Giles thought as Xander finished up his tutorial.

Buffy went first. She loaded it and everyone else was out of direct sight of Acathla, she fired and dove behind the wall as the impact landed. Xander blinked as he heard the slayer giggling while she dove. He looked at Angel who had a smile on his face.

"Damn Xander, it took off the head." She shouted a moment later as the dust started to settle.

He looked out and nodded. "Willow is next" he said and Willow eeps.

Willow's shot was mid-body, Cordy's was as well, and Kendra used the M84.

By the time Dawn got to fire at it, she was frowning as there was very little left of the main statue.

Xander took the bigger bits and put them into a potato sack he collected from a restaurant down the road a bit. He and the others bashed them on the sidewalk and street, Angel, Buffy, and Kendra also took turns as he got tired and it was pulverizing the last bits. Of course he had to go collect a few more potato bags from a local restaurant. He also got a sledgehammer and a number of pieces were destroyed as was some of the street.

Doing this was a bit of fun for the Scoobies, and as they were relaxing while spreading out the crumbled statue he asked, "Willow?" She turned her attention to him, "Is there some way we could purchase this or claim it, legally?"

"Purchase?" she asked confused.

"The mansion, could we pay off the taxes or do some hacking to get it into, I don't know; Angel's name?"

She looked shocked but nodded slowly. "I should be able to do that." She was already thinking on ways to get enough money to do that and smiled slightly when she realized that she could use that meeting she'd had with the software development company during career week.

Xander looked at Angel who had a stunned look on his face.

Giles asked him, "Why do you wish to pick up this property, Xander?"

He knew the boy had a reason. It was becoming apparent that even when he didn't consciously have a reason there was always a hidden reason there.

"It would be nice to have a place, you know for books, meetings, storing illegally obtained firearms?" he joked halfway seriously before he sobered, "If the PTBs are helping our enemies we need to have more active defenses. We need to be able to fortify our position and we need that to be someplace vampires aren't going to rush in on a whim. If Angel hadn't dusted him so quickly…" he shrugged and Giles nodded.

Angel spoke up, "Then the place shouldn't be under my name. Make up a name that represents the group or one of the humans. This will add to the protections against vampires." Xander shrugged but nodded.

Angel suddenly smirked glancing at the girls, "You could call it the LeVelle Manor and put it under Alexander LeVelle."

Xander froze and glared at Angel and then looked at the girls who were grinning and asked accusingly, "Who told Mr. Heartbeat my middle name?"

All the girls burst out into giggles; Angel smirked. _**'Mr. Heartbeat is better than Deadboy.'**_

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Moving in the mansion wasn't an overnight affair. It was Tuesday before the manor was paid for under the name Alexander LeVelle. Until they were able to move in the girls stayed with Willow, especially Buffy and Dawn. With there mother in the hospital and their father absent it was the best solution. Cordy was only staying there to explore her new relationship and avoid her parents. She was sure they'd been informed of her liaison Monday, likely before school was even out.

Once they got the started they named the mansion LeVelle Manor and started settling things in. Both Angel and Kendra made themselves the _home guard _and _go-for_ respectively. They spent most of the time at LeVelle Manor or 'assisting' Giles while he set up the library in the most expedient filing system. This made it easy to send Kendra to LeVelle Manor from the school in order to collect an individual tome needed, or even a select group of tomes which would be needed over the coming days. Giles never before realized how much they relied on the books from the separate library he'd had at his home.

The first full day Angel stays in LeVelle Manor, he finds the blood filled refrigerator. He decided not to throw it out right away, it would only stink up the place and the worse smell for a vampire is rotting blood. It was only luck that Spike had already arranged a generator for the electricity and the blood had started to freeze. He knew it was Spike as so few vampires store or freeze blood that way.

The afternoon brought with it a contemplative Angel who decided as it was Xander's Manor he'd ask him. He was unsure why Spike would have so much human blood. It was more than a month's worth of a gorging, which was another reason to talk to Xander about it. Maybe Xander would have some idea as to what the other vampire might have been up to. The younger man had been far too insightful lately. Angel had thought of possibly returning it to the hospital but with it frozen that was surely out.

When he talked to Xander it surprised him that the boy wanted him to keep it. "The hospital wouldn't likely take it because it wasn't given thru proper channels. Add to that, Giles told me that vampires that use animal blood regularly will gain a boost of healing and strength with human blood, almost as if a normal vampire had a pint of slayer blood."

Angel sighed and Xander went in for the kill, "It's frozen for now, so it should hold but if you get animal blood for now and save the human blood for emergencies this batch should last a long while."

Angel sighed but nodded, "I just don't like how it makes me feel." He paused, "It feels good" he said distastefully.

Xander nodded and spoke with whisper. "I remember eating a pig and almost raping Buffy, Angel. I know how you'll feel. If you guard yourself against the mental enjoyment I don't think you'll get the overwhelming urge to take a snack out of our necks."

He nodded then Xander added with a slight smirk, "I know you could have used a blood-popsicle before the Master's rise."

Angel sighed but nodded more firmly. Angel would follow the boy's advice.

"Tonight, Giles is bringing the rest of the books we have stored at the high school." He started to relay information about the group, "Jenny is brining a few computers that she and Willow repaired and the school thinks were too damaged to salvage and were thrown out. Buffy and Kendra have plans on setting up a room to work out in."

Angel was paying attention. If Xander was going to include him and treat him like an ally or teammate he would honor that.

Xander asks the vampire, "You recall the runes?"

Angel nodded and Xander's face took on a sheepish look, "I forgot completely about them, with the destruction of Acathla, but I was thinking we could test them now. We can see if they're still good."

Angel looked curious, "It shouldn't be unless you have a talent." He shrugged, "I'm not sure anyone here has a talent in it but I know Dru had a minor talent with them even if she only knew a few runes."

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That night Jenny checked the rune cards and to her surprise Xander and Cordy's cards still held strong magic in the runes. It was obvious now that they both had runic talent. The runes on Willow and Dawn's cards weren't working anymore but they did have a strange lingering aura about the card, the signature was however around the paper itself rather than the rune as though they had a minor talent or at least magical power that they could push into the runes before it disperses.

Giles's voice broke with shock, "You two are gifted with Runes!"

Cordy sighed with a slight whine, "That means more study, doesn't it?"

Cordelia had just started to enjoy the small amount of study because of Willow and Dawn joining in her distraction. But more study meant lest time making out and exploring their relationship.

Giles suddenly smirked, "Does Xander's attention to study rub off on the famed Miss Chase?"

She flushed while Xander laughed and bumped her arm. That day so far had been spent mostly in unused classrooms exploring their new relationship. The only issue was Kendra wasn't there to share as it had been in it between their classes. Often it was only two people with Xander being there only about half the time. Dawn had given Xander most or her attention while Willow and Cordelia had shared their attention between themselves. There hadn't been actual sex either oral or intercourse but that wasn't to say there had been no penetration with fingers. This also wasn't a new thing, it had been the last few days that the four young women and Xander had started to share more of their bodies with the others and that meant sharing more orgasms.

Xander broke into her thoughts as he asked Giles, "Do you have any books that cover runes?"

"There are two books here which I believe cover runes, but I doubt they cover much." He said by way of a warning.

Jenny spoke up, "I have a few sources online I can get runes from. The only book I have that has runes on it I doubt you'd be able to read." She paused a moment in consideration. "The only way to read it is if you are by blood Rromani."

The others turned to her she shrugged. "I was born Rromani, Gypsy, it's not exactly something you advertise."

Willow nodded. "Yea, I've read about Gypsies. Even in the modern day they seem to be treated poorly. Countries are still attempting to sterilize their women." She shivered. A few faces took that upsettingly.

"They say they are ignorant and stupid. They test those that are pushed away from the tribes because they have no loyalty or are too stupid to respect the tribe. Those tested are used to show how low their IQ is or how inbreed they are. At the same time they admit Romany the populous, at least as a majority, are bilingual – of course there are loads of psychology journals claim there are correlations between high intelligence and multilingual capabilities." she shook her head.

Jenny smiled at the redhead and nodded. "I can see if I can find any other actual books online" the teacher added, "I have numerous contacts."

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Ben Spencer stepped out of a plane. He recognized the region as Northern Mexico before giving out a sigh and searching out a hotel to stay at. He had no idea why he was on the plane but knew it was the thrice damned hell goddess in his head.

"What are you up to now, Glory?"

Glory would make another appearance in two days and he would find himself in another location closer this time to his liking. Maybe then a minion or hers would let him know he was staying awhile in one location.

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Anyanka and Halfrek were called on by D'Hoffryn, not to the realm of Arashmahaar but instead on the Hellmouth. They would be returning to school. They knew they were there together but this was a friendly competition.

"The first one to grant a wish to effect on these people will gain a favor from me." He told them with a smile, "Now before you go granting a wish let me give you some background. My contact is not a contact that I like, in fact – I want the wish to dispense justice in a way that we normally do not."

"Lord D'Hoffryn, what do you mean?" Anyanka asked then added hopefully, "Do you want more blood and gore?"

"On the contrary these fighters for the…" he curled up his lip, "light side" he shivered, "have all chosen to defend innocent people or perhaps those that are ignorant and less guilty than those that would feed their mother to Machida for an extra quid."

He adjusted his suit and refrained from ranting about human greed, "My point is that they are victims of the most utter betrayal and I wish to punish those betraying them by giving a helping hand to the selected group." He smirked and they both had wide eyes. He nodded and smiled with showing of teeth.

"I want the bastards in charge of the other side of the coin to know that I'm not at their fucking beckon-call. I've magically secured some added power and another rather stiff payment that will… I will be able to magically collect after at least one wish is granted that will have some kind of impact on the target group's day to day lives, causes a death, or draws their attention into something dangerous."

He smiles, "The 'causes a death' did not stipulate that the death need be one of the group so perhaps an enemy of theirs. The day to day life, if they won the lottery or something similar, maybe killed a vampire with a suitcase full of cash or gold or gems, it would make their life, day to day, easier. Maybe you could even draw their attention into a dangerous situation away from an even more dangerous trap and it would still meet the petty legal requirement of the contract we agreed to."

He smirked as the two agents started to smile ever so slightly.

"This assignment is off the books! There will be no bragging rights outside of the three of us, it will be binding." he told them and both nodded.

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	6. 6: Power Plays, Runes, and Wishes

The Scooby Gang

Book I: Buffy vs. Powers

Disclaimer: I have no property rights to any published or copyrighted material that is reserved to those that make money from ideas which I do not.

Summery: This is the first book in a series. This takes place in a Buffy-Parallel verse that things happened a bit differently than they did in Cannon.

Warning: Multi Ship M/FFF ahead!

CHAPTER 6: Power Plays, Runes, and Wishes

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The middle aged woman who was short but not quite petite smiles, "Thank you for agreeing to meet with me Mr. Mayor."

Margaret Walsh came into the Mayor's Office properly.

"It is the least I could do Doctor, tell me what did you wish to discuss with me?"

"I don't know where to begin, but you do know your town seems to draw in hostile sub terrestrials."

"Hostile sub terrestrials?" he asked mildly and a bit amused as well.

"Yes" she nodded and handed over a file she'd collected. "I've been tasked with the examination of a number of them to find out if they represent a threat to national security. I really wasn't supposed to talk with you but after realizing that you are what they would classify as an HST and are a productive and dare I say essential member of the community I feel at a loss as to how to classify what I thought were HSTs. Were you born human?" she asked.

The mayor's amusement faded before it resurfaced. He sighed and nodded, he could kill her easily but she was with the government and would likely be replaced and he would be spotted out.

"Yes." He nodded, "I was, I came to the area about a hundred twenty years ago."

Sharing his story he continued, "I was a young man, and had a wife and child they were killed by the local vampires laying in wait. I had no clue on the nightlife or the supernatural, and yes I do mean magic. I found out quickly when I dusted the vampire that took my wife and daughter. I soon found the entire area, a place that housed homes and cemeteries, often became infested with the creatures at night. I killed over a hundred vampires and destroyed a number of demons over those the next five years but they kept coming." He shook his had.

"One day I met a demon that didn't want to fight, he told me about how the nature of man was to dominate other men, to rise above them and rule over them. He beguiled me with stories of his intervention with leaders from Alexander the Great to George Washington. He told me that sometimes he helped a strong willed man or woman but sometimes he would help in other ways. He gave me a series of books that if I chose to follow I would have a very long rule."

He smiled.

"Books?" she asked.

"Yes, books on how to throw off your mortal coil and master all that is within your preview. This is master not overcome but completely master; to become a god of your very small universe, but a god none the less. Four years later I made my choice when I saw a young woman being raped by a human male. I realized as I tied the man up and completed my first steps to ascension that the vampires I killed had only been feeding, while this human, living human, non demon, was raping. I found at that point the idea of humanity being better than demon to be preposterous. Of course I feel no guilt over it, and after that first sacrifice to ensure my longevity in order to achieve ascension, I don't feel much in the way of guilt. Tell me Doctor what are your plans?"

She sighed.

"I need to examine a number of vampires as you call them, and a variety of demons. I'd like to put a few chips inside the vampires to see if I can control them by setting up some basic parameters. BMCs are what we call the Behavior Modification Chipset, they are a secondary goal. If they work you would have a great source of cannon fodder that won't be able to turn on your own forces." She smirked and he smiled and nodded.

"Do you have a place set up or would you require a building?"

"I was thinking of the Lowell House, my toys… solders" she said slipping a bit, "they need a cover story."

He nodded with agreement.

"When it comes time I'll send over a few Vampire employees to have the chips set, you will need to perfect them first on the rogue vampires out and about. After all once you are done testing them you can always dust them. Also if you happen upon a slayer please don't get caught usually slayers work alone but I shudder to think of your project gaining attention from their group. I am working overtime as is my staff to ensure they are not aware of my status."

She nodded and rose. "If you need any assistance, Mr. Mayor, you run a fine town." She held out a hand and took it after she left he wiped it off with a wet wipe.

"Allen" he called out.

"Yes Mayor Wilkins" the deputy mayor said.

"See to it that she and the entire group she is with are observed both on site visually and magically. And be sure to recruit some of the vampires to help her test her procedures."

He nodded and left.

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It was Friday; the group had worked hard during the week to complete the arrangements for the manor with all the books, weapons, and living. Willow had indeed put the ownership in Xander's name; she also put through his emancipation with the County Clerk electronically, with a name change as well.

Somehow, he wasn't exactly sure, nor did he want to know, he now had a bank account with twenty thousand dollars in it. That was a surprise that came with Thursday's mail.

He almost asked Willow but the name on the card and account was his, he did show it to her and she smiled and said, "My card is coming next week, along with a few others for house hold supplies and such." She said and he really wanted to know where the money came from.

For Willow's part she'd simply sold a program she'd been working on under his new name. It was surprising how he didn't even have to sign a slip to get the account.

Now the weekend was finally here.

"They don't think mom is going to wake up" Buffy said with a sniffle. "According to the doctor she's brain dead now, only her automated functions work but they won't last for another week." She said and then started to cry. Dawn held her, perhaps it was the lack of attention from their mother but she didn't feel the extra loss that Buffy felt.

"You're moving all your things in here" Angel said glancing at Xander and the others. It was technically Xander's house, he'd wanted it that way but he didn't see the young man quibbling over this.

She nodded and Dawn smiled.

"Everything will work out, Buffy." Dawn assured her, "If she dies, don't think of her as gone so much as, out of danger and no longer able to suffer."

Buffy frowned but nodded. "It makes me really angry at the Powers That Be, if they are the ones that caused it."

Willow, not wanting to give in and rant at the injustice, suggested, "This weekend we should start to research Wards!"

Xander groused, "I have studied both of those damned books of Giles and they were as helpful as a ladder was in Sylvester's latest attempt to eat Tweedy."

"I have to agree with dweeb boy here. The helpfulness of these books seems to be about on par with Harmony at a homeless shelter." Cordy sniped.

Willow giggled as Xander smiled at her much funnier the pun.

"What?" Cordy sniped playfully, "I mean even if she means well she's almost counter productive, and that second book? Not even that helpful."

She was now glaring at Giles who shifted to the left a bit in an unconscious effort to avoid the glare, sheepishly he admitted, "I must apologize, I'd not read the books myself. I only had them cataloged under runic magic. I'd no idea that the either book lacked instruction on runic magic. The only one that was remotely instructional was on past runic masters and that was only helpful in hopefully finding books that would be."

Cordy sighed but they both nodded.

Jenny smiled, "The Grimour?"

Xander smiled this time and Cordy glared at him as he spoke with pride. "I can read it, or translate it, just fine but Cordy can't."

Janna looked shocked. "You can" she said slowly, "actually read it?"

"Yes" he said and looked questioningly at her.

"You…" she seemed upset for some reason but not a bad upset just a shock.

"What is it?"

"I was told I'd have to likely read it aloud to anyone that was talented and not in the tribe but the magic on the book means that a member of the tribe should at least be present for it to be read at all. I was waiting for you to come ask for help before explaining it. Even members of the tribe can't read it unless they have some talent in runes. Because I'm of the tribe but lack talent it would mean that I would need to be there for someone with the talent to read it. Only a true Kalderash of blood and full Runic Talent would have full access to the grimour."

Xander didn't know what she meant so shifted uneasily and then nervously asked, "I'm not some demon am I?"

Giles, Angel, and Jenny all laughed, Angel would talk to Jenny later on that name he knew that name but he would do it privately.

"No dear boy" Giles said, "You are Romany, of the same Clan that cursed Angelus."

Jenny nodded, "The clan is very small" she said sadly, "At least compared to others but instead of being spaded like dogs or killed outright by soldiers; they were slaughtered by Angelus, no not Angel, Angelus!" This last was emphasized because the Scoobies looked at the vampire. She saw them as separate and wanted that distinction.

"Rromani often intermarry with other clans and the book is old, it was written while our tribe was in Egypt, that old."

Xander nodded, "But if I'm part of the clan, how…"

"The clan that made the book used blood from all the women. It was their impure blood" she paused and added, "Their menstrual blood."

That gained some disgusted, eww faces.

"It was mixed with a poison and ink and the pages were purified and preserved making them pure from the impure. The process was meant to make a protection magic and had a side effect that meant most of the clan to end up reading it were female." She smirked for a moment, "The fact was if a male could read it he normally was very well suited to the power. There were twelve books and only three remain."

"The book is helpful" said Xander with a shrug. "I think I understand some of the basic runic meanings but I have to translate every word one word at a time. That's going to take time to do."

"I will give you my program, it should enable you to read the older languages" she told him and he nodded. "It won't do all of the words because the book is older than anything I put into the program before."

He nodded and sighed; Cordy suddenly had the look of relief and smiled sweetly at Xander before she asked him with her best demure tone, "You'll teach me what you learn?"

Dawn was giggling. Xander looked to be caught by the tone for a moment before he sighed and gave her an affirmative look and a half nod. She swayed over and kissed him solidly on the lips his hand automatically found their spots and the three other girls who held interest in the boy and girl were wolf whistling.

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The next project was on wards, warding, and aerial effect spellcraft. With school and patrols it seemed to be a slow moving project. They did do a Dissolving of Invitation Ritual and invited Angel, but everything else was mostly on research of the magics. There wasn't a single book on wards or even a set to explain them. The group had to translate several tomes to understand that partial explanation on the structure of wards themselves.

They had plenty of books talking about wards but not on their construction. They broke down what they found into two types of wards. Simple Wards and Active Wards, the first were wards that were broken down in Egypt that warded off an area. These wards were simple wards and often weak when it came to power but strong because of the methods of the design. If someone never entered an area they'd never have need to challenge the wards themselves. These wards could be translated into spells that were on items or people instead of locations, but as they moved around it weakened the magic while on the move or after they were still for a short time. This was similar to what Dru had done to hide from Angel and the group at the mansion but she'd not done a full ward. Simple Wards subtly needed to be used cunningly; it could be something as simple as making someone sneeze right before they notice something so that they'll pass it by without paying attention or having pain that simulates a heart attack which would take much more power.

Active Wards have enough power to bend reality to meet its goal. They are often required to have nodes of power within the wards to see to the overpowered displacement of energy. This always has a base that is a general location, the things that belong in active wards can be warded while out but it is an extension of he active wards not separate wards, and Active Wards are permanent, once they are set they are there so long as they are powered. It takes loads of power to overcome active wards and usually this means that the power the Active Wards have consumed as well as what they were made from. Every second Active Wards are up and strong they gain strength, time, ambient magic, and even attacks will make them stronger.

Active Wards were first recorded used in the first city on record. Cities like Sumer and Babylon were worshiped and the idea that the Babylonian and Sumerian people treated their city like it was their god who would protect them from the environment was not completely absent of reasonable thought.

As the two subjects came to light it was at first confusing to both the younger and the older sides of the group, but with a few extra books purchased from LA and the local magic shop it was understood enough to feel confident in what they were reading.

They found the Active Wards they wished to set. Creating it would be a much longer process. It would take sheepskin, goat bones, some particular incense, herbs, blood from all that take refuge and are part of the wards, runes, and a caster, at least one if not more. The age of the bones, health of the sheep when the skin was obtained, the sharpness of the incense, and the power of the runes and caster would determine the outcome of the wards.

Angel was able to pick up lambskin and Giles was locating the old goat bones. Most of the ward runes they found so far were found in the Romany book. Sadly it was almost faster to find the specific runes online. Having them drawn out didn't inscribe any power into them. Xander had to learn what they were and the more detail and understanding the better equipped his mind was to empower them.

"I got the first set of runes inscribed on the skin" Xander said and sighed, "It was fairly easy and went according to the check. Miss Calendar did the runes power check to make sure they're fully charged. The bones are next and we have to smoke the skin with incense before we place it."

Giles nodded and Xander sat down tired. "I think it takes a lot out of me, for some reason I feel as though I could sleep a week."

"Get some sleep my boy, Angel is with Buffy out patrolling and with Dru gone I'm hoping he has little need of a protective shadow." Xander nodded and went to his room. The bed was one that Angel helped him pull over from his old home, same with the dresser and a few other things.

His door opened after he was in bed and Dawn slipped in and smiled before stripping down to her panties and climbing in to snuggle beside him. She didn't sleep for quite a while, just enjoyed the skin on skin closeness she had with Xander as she cuddled his sleeping form.

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Watcher Harkness had no idea why he'd been forced to fly out here to do this undesirable deed. He'd have just sent the letter himself, but the Council seer was insistent that the message be hand delivered or as the case may be, delivered by mouth. So here he was, Watcher Harkness of Devonshire walking up to the door of strong hold of someone he would much rather be destroying.

After knocking the eye slot hole opened up, the Watcher's voice was firm, "I'm here to see Kakistos, tell him Watcher Harkness is here."

It shut without word and five minutes later the Watcher was escorted to the master vampire.

"You took a great risk coming to see me." The deformed vampire stated before asking the Watcher, "Why is that?"

"The Council has authorize me to inform you of the current location and status of the Slayers"

"Slayers" he said surprised and intrigued, "there are more than one?"

"Yes, one was called when the elder one drowned and was revived. The Master of Aurelius was than slain by her the very same night."

"Tell me where they are and be gone, be thankful I have already eaten tonight."

The Watcher didn't gulp though he felt like it. Telling him of the Hellmouth and Sunnydale was enough and he fled posthaste.

"We are taking a trip, Mr. Trick" he said and smiled. "I do question why the Watchers Council is being so, helpful. Send a few vampires to follow Watcher Harkness and when he rests with others slaughter them all."

Mr. Trick smiled widely and departed to give instructions.

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Doyle arrived in Sunnydale, _**'Finally found the place!'**_ he thought as he took a good look around the area. _**'Not sure where to start but I'm sure I'll find a familiar face soon enough. I do wonder why the PTBs didn't let me know the town's name in the first place.'**_

He'd not even known where the vision was until just recently. He considered things he'd seen in his vision and shrugged, pushing the doubt aside, "Still have to wonder why they needed me here."

'_**I have things to atone for. Ignoring a plea for help is at the top of the list.'**_

As he contemplated his screw ups in life he couldn't help but think of his wife, Harriet and how he'd fudged that up quite nicely, _**'Does she think of me often? I wonder what she's doing right now. Is she alright? Maybe I'll give her a call and ask for some help dealing with this vision. Harriet was always better at dealing with puzzles like this than I was.'**_ Harriet was the love of Allen's life, that meant he still loved her and he was sue she'd still loved him just as much.

With Allen's mind settled he went to bed, leaving a note for the morning to give his wife a call. He needed a good night sleep before he had a clear head, as it was he found sleep to be a wonderful thing that night as instead of nightmares of the people that were killed because he did nothing he had dreams when he fell in love with his wife.

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Sigmund the ITB laughed gleefully as he and Lord Mok'tagar were sending a bit of power to the half demon named Allen Frances Doyle. The Mok'tagar people were not evil, as so often demons were. No, they were neutral, amoral, and held slightly more power than humans, but their specialty was the influence of emotions and souls.

Sigmund was a minor ITB with limited power in the larger scale but he was a go to demon and he had found Lord Mok'tagar's daughter's plans to run away from home and go to 'human' college. This made the ruler pleased to help him in this minor task of distracting the Powers pawn and maybe helping the way clear to disrupt their planning indefinitely. The neutrality their species had was with human life and souls not with PTBs, damned interfering busy bodies.

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With a touch of a whine Yutide asks, "Why is our prescience fogging around the seer pawn?" He gestures to the board half growling still whining, "It looks to be the work of chaos from the outer edge of the board."

Jasmine tells him, "I don't know but he still is in play. Even if his interaction is starting slower than we wanted, we should be able to follow his path which will enlighten us to the other piece's position and movement."

Grudle complains, "I don't know why we don't simply give a few demons a boost of power and enable to them to open the Hellmouth for a short time. Surely that will end their board time and we can set up our new champions."

Yutide grudgingly told him, "The Sisterhood of the Jhe is the only scheduled opening of the Hellmouth within the next year and they go by strident celestial alignment."

Yutide shook his glowing head sending out communication that wasn't quite speech to signify that he'd already thought of it enough to check. "Balthazar might be willing if he can find his amulet!"

Grudle shrugs or what they knew was a noncommittal no confrontational gesture.

Nodding Yutide made the choice, "It's not like it will do any harm. I can't see how they would know about it and it might weaken them in dealing with the issues. In fact…" his voice trails off a moment and he turns to the board. Focusing on another enemy piece he sends a burst of power to it. "I've just sent the Gentlemen to the Hellmouth."

His expression was the equivalent to a glowing smirked at their emoting shock and so explains, "Losing their ability to communicate before Balthazar shows up will add to the confusion."

"Yes and Hans and Gretta Straus might help in that too, if they could be persuaded to take up the notion. Depriving the town of witches and the ability to use their champion abilities might help."

"What of the Scourge?" Jasmine asked, "Could we let them know of there being two slayers and give them the impression that if they don't deal with it now they'll be more; perhaps a prophecy to one of the demon seers?"

"Good-good, however do it make sure it's done quickly."

The PTB shimmered out and went about her own personal planning.

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Inside the sealed Hellmouth the local Hell Spawn grumbled as it sensed the change in the power local to the earthen realm side of the passage way it had kept guarded since the formation of the Hellmouths ten thousand years prior.

Briefly the semi sentient guardian wondered about the sudden shift of power and looked for when it would be called upon to defend the passageway again. It disliked it when the power shifted so, it made things uncharitably unpredictable.

The displeasure and grumbles from the hell spawn were displayed around the Hellmouth by the minor earthquake that local geologists would never be able to find the epicenter of.

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Giles sighed and got out from under the table. It was Monday morning and what a way to start the day with an earthquake.

He muttered to himself "Better check the portents."

Xander coming into the library asks "Hey G-man; you feel that?"

"Yes, I did, Xander. I'll be checking later to see if there was some kind of mystical warning about it." This had been in the normal serious Giles persona before he smirked at the lad and with almost a Ripper like tang in his voice he asks, "How goes your first official day as Mr. LeVelle?"

'_**If the lad is going to call me that infernal name I'm going to pay him back.'**_

Xander scowled and said with a solid whine in his voice, "Not you too!"

Giles laughed at the boy's whine.

Xander groaned at the laugh, "I got to get to class, if you find that third book on Runes let me know."

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In class Buffy spotted to suits at the door, they were official looking people she had the feeling were there for her. When she was called out and she almost groaned.

"Are you Buffy Summers?" the suit on the left asked her.

"Yes?" she said.

"Your mother passed away, we're with social services. We need to know where you are living at and where Dawn Summers is." It was stated with a cool voice that held no argument.

Buffy wasn't fooled and kept her tone reasonable. "Was there a complaint filed for some reason?"

They looked at each other. "No Miss Summers…"

Buffy interrupted whatever they were going to say "Am I looked at as an adult now?"

This was the tricky part, an adult would not need to have social services as their advocate, but a child would not need them either if there was no complaint. Giles and surprisingly Xander had drilled into her the legal loop holes they were taking temporary advantage of to stall their interference in their lives.

Really all it was meant to do was give the agent a headache and a half. The fact was that most of them weren't active in Sunnydale. This lead to the idea, that if the Powers wanted to cause issues, they would at some point send these toads here.

"No you are not which…"

"Which is the reason that you need to speak to my guardian or lawyer; I can't help your ignorance but until you have a court order to speak to me without legal council present you are not welcome in my presence." She stated this crisply. "Please do not violate my legal rights again." Both were shocked as the girl turned to go back into the class room.

She paused and turned and added with a wide condescending smile. "I'm sure when you go through the proper channels your questions will be answered by then."

They both winced.

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The house at 1630 Revello Drive was empty, cleared out, and the mail was set to forward Willow's house.

When she checked on her mother the night before she was alive so that meant she died within the last twelve hours and Social Services showed up to talk to her this soon was sure sign of demonic or at least supernatural involvement.

"Giles," Buffy's whined, her voice laden with sadness at being reminded of her mother's recent passing. "They showed up."

It was lunch time and they'd visited in her first class, they'd not made another appearance.

"Yes, um who showed up?" he said looking up from a book on portents and earthquakes that was in a very old language. Kendra had retrieved a few books on earthquakes from the manor.

She whined and pouted, "The stupid service people!"

Confused even more he asked, "The mortuary?"

Buffy's eyes widened a bit and the sadness ebbed. She was now biting her tongue in struggle not to give into her Xander-like impulse to pun that question.

Slowly and surely she told him, "The Social Services."

Giles sighed, "I know your mother was likely to pass on in the night, I had expected them tomorrow at the earliest but really the day following such an ordeal? If they showed up here now, that means they know the house on Revello Drive is empty and they really shouldn't have needed to attend to the house without anyone there."

She nodded and went to find Dawn. Dawn was with Xander, eating launch when she found them; Willow, and Cordy joined them as she sat.

"They came; did they talk to you Dawn?"

"They tried" she smirked, "They looked spooked and the teacher tried to say I had to go with them and I told her I wouldn't that they didn't have a warrant for my arrest and that without my guardian with them I didn't have to even talk to them. Mrs. Gardner seemed surprised but informed them that without a warrant or someone that I would recognize as a guardian they were not able to dictate terms. They tried to get me anyway but she realized they were going to and starts yelling at them to get off school property and that she was contacting the police either now or at the end of the day about unauthorized detainment, assault, and battery."

Dawn grins widely at her sister, "She really let them have it. She said she'd not thought anything of it beforehand but it was very unprofessional of them to approach at school and in fact the way they were going about it she was sure it was illegal. It would have been different if they had a police officer there but they didn't nor did they tell her the reason for their attempting to withdraw me from her class." Buffy nodded.

The mild victory over the Social Services, they were sure, wasn't going to last. They knew that but the emancipation of both girls was soon to be finished. Willow was seeing to it but it was going to take a bit longer due to Joyce's dieing just that morning. She'd already located Hank and faxed his secretary a form to sign and a threat of child support being garnered if it wasn't signed and notarized before being filed in LA. The threat made it less than a week which according to her computer records had occurred the same day, three days before Joyce had died. It was simply taking it's time going through.

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Anya as Anyanka was called found the group easily. She watched them curiously as the male; the good looking male seemed to have three or four females. She tested the waters; the ether of emotion she thrived on, the girls didn't feel any of the usual hurt associated with cheating males she wondered why.

'_**I mean it's not like he hides it, in fact I would say the girls instigate it.' **_She thought as she peered through the door she smiled slightly, _**'He is sort of cute in a cheating scumbag sort of way.'**_

"I apologies, Xander" Giles said with a sigh, "I am unable to locate any new runic reference material. It seems that my Council contacts, one and all, have dried up for some reason. I wouldn't mind knowing what that is all about, but I have a feeling that it's the PTBs interfering again." He shook his head.

"That's fine Giles, I only wish I had a way to learn them that didn't involve numerous hours of translating, useless study, and hit and miss or hit and guess method of testing the translations that may or may not work."

"Yes, Jenny doesn't know enough to…"

"DONE" the voice said and vanished.

They both turned to see the demonic face vanish.

"Done?" the both said white faced, though Xander's voice was a shriek and Giles voice broke with n sound.

Xander turned to Giles who said, "I have no idea!" before the boy could ask.

Xander suddenly let out a scream as he grabbed his head in pain.

Buffy wasn't there but Dawn was in the stacks with Kendra. Dawn and Kendra rush out and see Xander on the floor. They help him to the chair ever so gently.

"Damn that hurts." Xander managed out.

Dawn was checking his head like he had a fever and asked, "Xander what is it? Are you alright?"

"I am now, I think. But having ten thousand years of Rune history and instruction jammed into my head does not a happy Xander make."

Giles looked faint. "Is that all that is there?" he asked nervously.

Xander shrugged and winced. "I don't know but I could do with a good night sleep. Why the hell did a demon just do that?"

"I'm not sure but I've heard of a few, 'be careful what you wish for' fairy godmother type demons. Usually both the wisher and the subject of the wish are…" he gulped, "They usually end badly."

Xander nodded, "If you could find out who it was… I'd really like to know if this pain is ever going to go away or if my head is going to explode or something." He rubbed the top of his head with pressure before adding a muttered, "Damn well feels like it."

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A quick trip by Kendra to retrieve a book for Giles from the Manor and it wasn't long before he found what he was looking for. Justice Demons!

"Anyanka, Patron Saint for Scorn Women" Giles showed Xander.

As he focuses he groans before he moans again in pain. "Why the hell is a demon that grants wishes to women lurking around granting me wishes?"

Giles shivers a shrug before offering, with a smirk, "Usually this demon is a bit bloody and only goes after men who practice infidelity or spousal abuse. Perhaps she is aware of your situation and is frustrated with the fact that your girlfriends don't think of it as infidelity?"

Xander started to laugh and ended with a groan as the pain spiked. He put his head down on the table he reached up and grabbed the pad with his eyes still closed. He grabbed the pencil and drew out a series of runes. He folded it in half, trapping it. The runes glowed through the page and he leaned back and put it on his head and sighed.

"Pain reliever" he explained with another sigh.

Giles blinked and nodded, that made a bit of sense.

"What happened?" Kendra finally asked after rereading the information on Anyanka.

"She granted Xander the wish to have… another way to know runes without study." He told her and smirked. "Next time he'll want to study."

With a smirk he shakes his head, "No, this pain is worth it."

Giles scowled exasperatedly.

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	7. 7: Silence Is Golden, Given Voice, and F

The Scooby Gang

Book I: Buffy vs. Powers

Disclaimer: I have no property rights to any published or copyrighted material that is reserved to those that make money from ideas which I do not.

Summery: This is the first book in a series. This takes place in a Buffy-Parallel verse that things happened a bit differently than they did in Cannon.

Warning: Multi Ship M/FFF ahead!

CHAPTER 7: Silence Is Golden, Given Voice, and Fire Power

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The Powers couldn't see on the board what it was, exactly, that hastened the departure of D'Hoffryn's agents. They however saw the board's result of her quick departure it was obviously a granting a wish but they knew not what the wish was for nor could they see what the result was going to be. There was just too much fog and chaos for them to see any clear definition.

As they watched the board they all felt the dread of failure when it was quite obvious that the effects of the wish seemed to add seven levels of protection to the group. The fortification of a formerly 'week' but more chaotic member was something they all scowled about.

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The young beautiful looking woman shouts out, "Jinx!" She may have appeared to be pretty physically but it was only surface, inside she wasn't remotely beautiful.

A gnarled face biped approaches, "Yes your most beauticious Glorificus?"

"We need to head north, to the Hellmouth, now that I feel it."

He agreed quickly, "Right away, your magnificence!"

Another gnarled faced biped named Dreg approached with her dress in hand showing her the beauty of it in stark contrast to his outwardly ugly appearance.

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The silent gray swallowed skinned suits with long fingers floated into town. This was by chance the convergence of four other occurrences. Glory had arrived early in the evening before dusk, Kakistos had arrived with his minions, the Scourge had arrived, and Hans and Gretta Straus had set up their allusion to be found by a local mother.

The PTBs hadn't considered the lack of cohesion for this event.

The town woke as the morning arrived and had no voice.

Xander was the first to grab a pad he'd worked runes on and did a stick drawing. In a bubble it said:

'_**I can't speak, can you?'**_

They all shook their heads. School was canceled for the foreseeable future and Richard was not happy.

He was not the only one. The group had stayed in the Manor, thus eliminating the Social Services access to the Summers girls for another day. Ironically the day following this silent one, the Social Services would be informed that the two minors in question were now emancipated minors and no longer fall under their jurisdiction or responsibility.

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Xander was working on a way to use runes to simulate voice, or at least communicate with each other. The others were researching any possible reason for the aerial affected laryngitis.

Xander felt a hand and turned left to look. Cordy was there. She sighed and snuggled into his side with a book of her own. He smiled slightly, this was the Cordy that he loved, the girl that needed reassurance and knew how to get it.

Cordy had turned so her back was pressed into his side and then pulled his arm around her under her bust. It was more comforting than a sexually arousing. That didn't stop her from rubbing his arm sensually every once and a while. Every time she did he'd smile at her almost teasing silent promise.

Willow came up to them about ten minutes after Cordelia had gotten comfortable. Cordy spread her legs invitingly with a 'come hither' look directed at the redhead. Words weren't needed to convey the sexual connotation. Willow blushes before smiling and moving to sit directly between Cordelia's spread legs, pressing just right to put a bit of pressure in areas that would make it delightfully uncomfortable. Dawn and Kendra soon joined Xander on the other side from Cordelia and Willow, although they were less touchy-feely about it.

Xander realized about five minutes later that Dawn may not have been as overtly touchy-feely about it, but she was sly and as soon as she was settled she proved that she wasn't ignoring him for her book either. He felt Dawn's hand slide up his right leg and when he glanced over at her, he saw her lick her finger and turn the page left handed while smirking.

Xander pulled a bit of the leather he'd put out on the table earlier. He gestures to Giles who smirks in return before getting up and plugging the hot iron in still sporting the same silent smirk.

Finally it was warm and he could use it, it didn't take too long to burn out the first runic pattern onto the leather. He set the burner down making sure it was safely away from the girls accidental bumps or brushes, wouldn't do well to have them burned. Runic healing was not something he wanted to try; pain relief was easy but repair was much more difficult.

With the long strap of firm leather he twisted it hard in a few places and attempted to mold it, it worked. The strap was now a collar and he put it on over his shoulders and collarbones and looped around the back of his neck.

Looking at Giles he thought firmly, _**'Giles, can you hear me?'**_

Giles jumped and looked at Xander who was now smirking with a touch of pride and humor. The Watcher nodded slowly with a shocked pale face. Xander grabbed the collar and tossed it to him. He caught it confused as to what to do with it.

Xander held up a finger to wait for a moment. Knowing what he was going to do and already having one completed Xander easily burned out another collar with speed and efficiency that was even a bit neater.

Turning to his mentor he sent the message with the mimicry off of a cell phone commercial that was completely lost on Giles,_** 'Can you hear me now?'**_

The affirmative wasn't 'voiced' so much as shared by emotion. Giles finally managed to syntax out his mental _**'Xander, what the blazes is this?'**_

'_**My thoughts pushed at you and yours at me. These are my talking thought bands; you can push them at anyone so long as you have a clear mental image of them or something that can easily represent them. I was thinking of Trumps from the books about Amber by Roger Zelazny.'**_

'_**I read them but will this work for anyone?'**_

Xander turned to Angel, _**'Angel, can you hear me?'**_ Angel looked up wide eyes. He turned back to Giles and thought to him sardonically, _**'I think he can hear me.'**_ Before he tosses Angel the collar he'd been using.

It wasn't long before Xander had one for each person.

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Glory was not a happy camper, none of her minions could speak; she'd already ripped the head off Murk and Slook before she realized they weren't mocking her.

She sniffled as though her toys were taken away then promised, "I will find who did this to my minions."

It didn't take long to find something to rip apart; she was a bit distracted from finding her key to making sure the demon that did this to her minion knew she was a goddess and not someone to trifle with.

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Walsh was shocked that nobody could speak she sent out word on small computer relays to find out what caused it. A number of her commandos went out into the world with not only their radios that were useless but a video recording on their gear.

It was by chance that the soldiers were able to capture an image of Glory. The small blond ripping the head off a demon minion of some kind was enough to give them pause on approaching the hostile. They followed her still recording and sending. They didn't think they had enough juice in the blasters to subdue her. Without a verbal command they weren't going to try and take her. Not that their holding facilities would hold up to that amount of force.

While Glory was on the rampage and the town was silent the Scourge inundated the town with loads of demons. In their silence they noticed the blond attacking demons they mistook her for the slayer and attacked en masse. It isn't wise to attack a goddess, even with overwhelming numbers, so bluntly. Their casualties numbered close to four hundred. The soldiers would never underestimate an HST again.

Only the mysterious appearance of a young man in a dress stopped the blood shed. The soldiers were shocked that the man had been able to stop the woman but wondered why she gave him her dress. It would take days of watching the tape to realize what happened thus weakening the memory spell that was around Ben's association with Glory.

Ben couldn't speak like Glory could; evidently he was around when the Gentlemen had done their magic. The Gentlemen had attempted to flee the battle early on at hearing the woman's voice but the commandos had used their pulse guns and captured one. They even accidentally blew the head off one and they weren't sure how that happened, they wouldn't personally know that it was because of Glory's scream of frustration at the demon damaging her dress.

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The Scoobies research had yielded results. The only thing they could find in the books was found by Kendra. It had to do with a box, a magical artifact that would capture voices when activated. So long as the box was solid and held the magic it would hold the voices of 'lesser boxes' within. The magic of it meant that the magical voice box needed to be higher than voices in the area. If your voice box, or larynx, was higher than the box the magic would drain in the box quickly, within either days or weeks depending on the magic that was put into it and the magic in the local environment.

They knew that they had to leave the Manor to search out the high places of town in order to find the box however when they left they were in for a surprise. Without the voices relaying sounds, the demons could have been right outside the front door and they wouldn't have noticed it. However they found the battleground that was still raging quickly, as though a hand was guiding them there.

'_**Giles, what the hell?'**_ was sent to Giles as Xander tried to fight the surprised battle.

'_**Hell is about right Xander.'**_ Giles had his own sword out now and was attempting to fend off some claws. He wasn't having a one to one conversation he was trying to talk to everyone in the group. With them right there it was fairly easy. _**'This is the Scourge; I recognize seven different breeds of demon these are all on the kill or be killed list as you might say. The Scourge is the only thing that unites some of these breeds.'**_

Buffy's mental voice asked_** 'What is the Scourge, Giles?'**_

'_**Think Nazi, only humans instead of Jews and Gypsies.'**_

'_**Shit' **_Xander said while Willow glared at the demons with a bit of anger.

Xander glanced at the girls; Dawn's Lightsaber was really the most effective blade there.

Giles snarks _**'Eloquent as always, my lad' **_at Xander's mind alone as he cuts off the head of another demon.

Just because Dawn's blade was the most effective didn't mean it was more devastating against the hoard of demons.

'_**Converge on me Buffy, Kendra. I'm going to use a kinetic force rune on your blades.'**_

Buffy nodded and thought to Xander, _**'Right, what will that do?'**_

'_**It'll add a force multiplier to any impact your blade makes. It should make a strong strike ten times what you put into it.'**_

She smiled wide as she gave him the blade. He had to do it on the handle but it was done for Buffy, Kendra, two blades each and one for Willow that the blade was much thinner. Dawn's needn't have an impact. Suddenly the tide was turned. The soldiers had already fled but even without them the humans were now winning against the fifty or so Scourge.

The weapon runes would abate with use. Xander had drawn them with a pencil and the graphite would rub off within a few hours of use or multiple release and grip type actions.

It was easy after the demons were dealt with to find the box in an old clock tower. Dawn used her Lightsaber to cut the box in half and preserve a good portion of the runes that were carved inside it. Seeing them gained Dawn a rather passion filled kiss from Xander.

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The six were staggering their numbers on their walk back to the Manor, just in case more demons attacked. Buffy sped up a bit to walk beside Xander.

"Xander" Buffy said with a grin as she fingered the leather collar that Xander had worked on. "I like these." There was something very sexual about that smile and for the first time he was thankful that it wasn't directed at him. "We should keep them." She stated with a gleam. Xander nodded still thinking on how thankful he was that there wasn't an added number to the girls driving him crazy with over abundance of sexual need and affection.

Buffy had loved that she could talk privately with Angel while everyone was there they'd found out that even vampires could blush. She was doing it now and didn't have a picture nor was he in direct line of sight.

"I figured we would keep them. I'll add some runes as time goes on and I can test them out, but before I add too much I want the Manor warded." He said with a sigh.

Buffy nodded, the group was now less staggered as they were nearing the Manor. It didn't take much to turn her attention to Giles; she just needed to speed up a bit. She turned now with Giles beside her.

Buffy's voice had a whining quality, "Giles!" Xander grinned at Giles and the back of Buffy's head. Buffy has a happy go lucky California valley girl persona with the added caveat of a stereotypical blond as she asks her Watcher, "Do you have like, any clue on what's the 'what' with an army of yoo-hoos like attacking Sunnydale?" She'd long ago perfected the art of the blonde valley girl.

Both Xander and Dawn had full blown smirks and were holding in their laughter at Giles face as he had to mentally go over what the slayer was asking him. Finally getting it, he sighs and mutters about butchering the Queen's English before he cleared his throat.

"I reported it to the Council not long after we had our voices, from the library. For some reason they didn't seem to believe me." He said before grimly adding, "The fact is that the coven contact I have told me that a few days ago the Council arranged my, our retirement."

The blond slayer worried for mentor in this case so asks, "More of the PTB's interference?"

"It might be" he shrugged, "I am hesitant to lay blame for this but it is entirely too convenient."

"Anything about the Earthquake?" asked Xander, "I mean the Hellmouth didn't open right?" he glanced toward the school thinking of the library.

Giles paled but shook his head. "This wouldn't even be the start of it, the Hellmouth Spawn would have destroyed the school before letting these escape."

Xander sighed and nodded as he turned back to the sidewalk. It had been only a short walk to Crawford Street.

"I guess" Xander said almost disdainfully, "We're back to relying on other means to find out what's going on. I so hate checking local papers for what they might publish."

Xander had spent more time reading the stupid paper since becoming a Scooby than he did all his life up until that point. Perhaps that was why he had such a keen eye for details that some others missed. Either that or Giles loved to make him do it because he knew he despised the paper.

Giles said, "Indeed, there has been nothing to warrant attention outside of the common variety vampire as of late."

Xander grunted causing the man to smile slightly and tell the boy, "I sometimes long for an army of slayers to simply push thru the town and destroy all of the damned vampires in one go. Maybe then we could prevent vampires from arriving."

"Bless the town and salt the Earth?" he asked with a slight smile; Giles chuckled ruefully.

Willow spoke up, "I've got that watchdog program set in the local Corners Office too; they've not had anything really interesting recently."

Xander nodded and pulled her into his side as they walked. She grinned; even if walking like that was at first a bit awkward, it was a nice kind of awkward.

The Manor was just ahead and Cordy came out, seeing Xander, Willow, and Dawn, she smiled at Xander and Willow before grabbing Willow's arm and pulling her away, "We need to go grocery shopping."

Xander grinned at the physical display of touch. Cordy had been completely ignoring the sheep recently, on the level that the world ignored Marcy Ross_._ A few of them had gotten the hint and left her alone, a few others had started rumors but they'd been snuffed out quickly when they'd shut up at Cordy's approach. There were one or two that were actually hurt to a small degree at her leaving their group but they didn't let it show.

Dawn grinned as she and Xander went inside.

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With the school let out for the remainder of the week due to the laryngitis epidemic it left Xander to think on runes. The leather and wood burner had been Angel's idea and Giles had picked them up but now that he had some free time he thought that the solution with the collars was but one example of the use of runes that nobody used anymore. Perhaps it was because runic magic was hoarded but he wasn't sure.

Turning to Giles he asked the Watcher, "Giles, could I borrow your car?"

Nodding he said, "Sure Xander; what did you need?"

"I'm hitting hardware store."

Giles shrugged but nodded. "Would care for some company?"

Xander shrugged smiling, "Sure."

They picked up a number of tools some of which were for wood but others seemed general tools. That was when Xander stopped and got some wood, he asked and they cut it to four food lengths. He picked up a bottle of air that was meant to be used and refilled.

"You are planning to do some work on the Manor?" he glanced at the full car load.

"Yes" He smirked and told him as they started back towards the Manor. "I want to use some runes around the house."

Giles blinked, nodding with a smile. His eyes were alight behind his glasses with curiosity, "It would be interesting to see runes used in practical non-combatant sense."

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Setting up the tools got the attention of Angel and Buffy they were curious but stayed silent about it. Buffy might have asked but she wanted to figure out what Xander was doing without being told.

The wood burner was turned on soon he had the runes on the wood. A band of leather was snug around the pressurized air canister and soon he had the first slab nailed to the ceiling in the hall way. Xander had cleaned the area made the four foot two by six looked like it belonged there. He smiled.

The entire hall was lined with two rows of the two by sixes and Xander had cut the last one in half to fit it.

Giles observed with an asking tone, "You seem to have a bit of talent for working with wood?"

Xander nodded adding a bit of self-depreciating humor, "I can cut and burn just fine."

Not letting that detour him Giles asks while glancing at the hallway, "What are they for?"

Angel and Buffy looked at him questioningly as they hadn't figured it out yet either. If it wasn't for the runes they might have suspected he was putting in lighting and needed to have the wood to attach the lighting to.

Xander smirked he could tell everyone was curious. He wondered briefly where his girls were. With his best 'paid program' or 'announcer' voice he said, "I've just installed the new and improved Runic Lighting. The entire hall will stay lit so long as people are in it and it has energy to absorb."

Angel laughed. Xander smiled slightly, living with Deadboy wasn't that bad. He'd not given Deadboy any hard times lately and he found for some reason he had a bit more trust in the vampire now. He'd already check his person with a runic scan to show any influences affecting his will and found that the only thing to show up was the hyena or animalistic sympathy aligned within his will and the militaristic sympathy also aligned with his persona.

"You mean they're lights?" Buffy asked blankly.

Xander smirked at her, "The wood will charge and retain the energy around it like a battery. That's energy not just magic. Motion, light, wind, sound, they'll all charge the wood and the runes will ensure the energy is stored and converted into photonic energy."

At her confused look Angel clarifies with a smile, "He means light."

She blushed and glared at Angel but he reached over and kissed her causing her glare to falter as give a sniff. Xander was sure there was a mental relay there.

"Ingenious," Giles said, "Was this something you come up with or was it already put together from the download?"

Giles distaste for the word _download_ was apparent but it was easier to say then a full sentence, and it was also much more public friendly.

"When I did the runes for the collars, I realized while doing them that there were plenty of variations and methods of rune order which would accomplish the same task. There are so many way and so many purposes that it was way beyond any limit we've ever thought of before. The method I'm using is one that I'm not aware of ever being used together in this way before, some have been used together in some form or fashion but over all not that my mind can recall."

He smirked, "I also included a rune to fry vamps that didn't have souls." He said, "That one was completely new." He smirked and Angel looked at the wood wearily.

"It isn't going to fry Angel is it?"

"So long as he keeps his soul, no, but it will make his inner demon uncomfortable." He admitted.

Angel laughed surprising Buffy. "Thanks Xander" he said with a smile, "I wasn't sure you would understand, or remember."

"What?" Buffy asked. Giles was silent but curious as well.

Angel explains, "When I decided to keep the human blood frozen, Xander was the reason. He told me that if I guarded against the feeling it should lessen the impact from the emotions. It will no longer be a shared joy by demon and soul from drinking human blood. My demon and I are separate to a great degree and I didn't say it but I think he knew the more I let the demon have fun the closer to the surface and more control the demon has." He said glancing at the now glowing slightly wood he smiled and nodded, "Just giving it a bit of pain helps to push it away."

Buffy scrunched up her nose and asked confused, "Are you in pain?"

"No" Angel shook his head, "But I can tell that the demon is, he's stubborn and doesn't like to share it but he's in pain, ever since the heart beat."

"Which" shared Xander "was actually what gave me the idea. Not only that but I figured if you ever do have your soul removed from controlling the demon you'd want to be dusted."

"Yes" he said firmly.

Buffy frowned at Xander then the lights, she'd been out voted. "Shouldn't the wards stop him from coming in?" She asked, almost whining out, "Aren't they going to be done soon?"

"We only have the preliminary runes set, and I think I'll add to them. We will need more runes on the house, land, and the casting as well as a central runic ward stone for the actual casting."

Buffy looked confused at his words, "What is that and why haven't we done it?"

Giles spoke up, "Jenny is working on a way to test our magical talents for raw magic we can use in the casting. The wards need to have a minimal power level to include all the runes Xander has etched. That is not even the fact that some of the materials should be reevaluated as the runes Xander drew are overcoming the level of power the materials have."

Xander nodded, "I asked her if I could help but it seems casting is beyond my ability. Runes and fire are the only things I can do with magic and if I over do it they'll tire me out faster than Buffy can buy shoes at a shoe sale."

The glare Buffy sent him was one of consternation and humor.

"Fire?" asked Giles and Xander shrugged sheepishly.

"You remember Madison last year?" he asked.

"The witch or Amy?" asked Buffy.

"When we were researching the-hands-on-fire cheerleader?"

She nodded and Giles looked curious. "You had checked out books I recall?"

"Yes" he blushed. Buffy giggles as she recalled the _so called _reason for him to check them out. "When we started researching fire magic you remember I torched a book on fire magic on accident?"

Giles eyes widened.

"I recall." He nodded, "I was unaware that it was about fire magic."

Buffy looked at Giles curiously knowing that tone was meaning something, Xander just shrugged before he nodded.

Xander's voice was sardonic, "I figured that if the cheerleader got torched hands, fire might have come into play."

"Yes" Giles nodded, "However a book on fire magic burst into flames while you were holding it should have been a clue as to it being a talent of yours."

Xander was indifferent, "It's not like there's much use for setting books on fire."

Giles almost groaned thinking the boy joking, then realizing the boy was not joking did groan and told him, "Xander, tell me you aren't serious! Fire Elementals, even minor ones, can throw fireballs."

Buffy's eyes were wide.

"But" Xander hesitated, "Wouldn't they just go out. I mean they didn't even really burn my hands even the cheerleader had her fire hot enough to burn her."

Giles felt like smacking the back of the boy's head and telling him to think, instead he took a breath, "Fire Elementals," he said slowly and deliberately, "even ones not stronge enough to be classes as elementals, will find it difficult to get burned. The fact that the fire came from you not another would preclude the ability to burn yourself."

Xander frowned, "You're saying that I might have a cool power and it can't even hurt me to use it?" he wanted to be sure he got that right as he was feeling very stupid.

Giles shrugged, "I don't know for sure but fire can do other things such as burn out all the Oxygen and prevent you from breathing, so I wouldn't say that just because your flesh is less combustible than others means your ability can't hurt you. If you really want to use the ability I will need to locate another book on Fire Elemental talents. You will no doubt need to meditate before you learn to control it. It isn't like the story books on magicians."

Seeing Xander pay close attention he nodded, "Fire talent is what the talent is called if you are not an elemental. Non-elementals who have fire talent have less control when they are not in contact with the fire. This means they could throw a fireball but couldn't push the flame away from a loved one or make it consume a vampire. A vampire could smack it away and put out his hand, just for an example."

Xander nodded, he understood.

"A minor elemental" Giles continued, "will have limited control over flame so long as it originated with their touch or their will. And full elemental?" He smirked, "They can call upon flames and bid them to do their will before leaving with the full understanding that the _flame spirit_ will do exactly that. There hasn't been a recorded full elemental for fire or anything else for three thousand years."

Xander nodded. "I don't know if I would let anyone know if I was a full elemental."

Giles nodded agreement, "Which is why the Council set up a magical net. They can find any magical signature out there that gives off elemental magics and the net informs them of any controlled elemental activity involving an elemental spirit. They use it to track a number of demons and demonic tribes."

Xander almost growled, "Another thing to ward against!" Giles nodded shocked he'd not thought of that before.

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It had been almost a week before Glory 'woke up again'. Ben had not known if they were staying in the area and sequestered his self in one of the warehouses away from the population. He'd known she'd pushed herself because he was utterly exhausted but he had been pleased she was killing demons before he'd got his body back.

Now however she had time to examine the events that led to her exhausting herself. She realized now that the Scourge, the demons that should be worshiping her and adding to her power, had attacked her. If she'd been a bit more like Ben she might have wanted to know why they attacked but she was a 'glory hound' which meant she was quick to take action and deal with it without thought. She could afford to be like that with most anything she did. Of course this meant she had to find and eliminate any more of those pesky rodents that would dare to attack a goddess.

Thoroughly distracted she made her plans. The minions, who could speak now, were simply pleased she didn't want to rip their heads off and would go about their duties. A local demon that worshiped her by the name of Doc agreed to locate and help her eliminate the demon Scourge. He missed the part of the command that it was suppose to be local. He was so enraged by the Scourge and their attempt to attack his goddess that he simply wasn't thinking clearly.

The remaining Scourge in Sunnydale were eliminated that night and the following day saw a pissed off middle-range demon hunting the so called purebloods. Of course they were somewhat easy for Doc to kill. It would be months before he was seen again and for some reason not known to him the elder looking image he'd shown the world would be called Doc Holiday, or maybe it was Doc on holiday, either way it would seem to others that he was a hero saving both human and peaceful demons alike. It would be months after the demise of Glory that he found out and by that time the story of her demise would have changed from the truth to a fare fetched tale of woe and defeat. Doc would blame the demons that hadn't followed her and in his grief he would associate it with the Scourge and hostile demons. The world would have its champion unwitting as he is.

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	8. 8: Gem of Amara, More Wishes, and Ritual

The Scooby Gang

Book I: Buffy vs. Powers

Disclaimer: I have no property rights to any published or copyrighted material that is reserved to those that make money from ideas which I do not.

Summery: This is the first book in a series. This takes place in a Buffy-Parallel verse that things happened a bit differently than they did in Cannon.

Warning: Multi Ship M/FFF ahead!

CHAPTER 8: Gem of Amara, More Wishes, and Rituals

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The three PTBs were staring at the board with utter disbelief etched on their ethereal faces. The silence was deafening until Grudle broke it, "They can't do that!"

The others looked first in disbelief at Grudle for voicing that observation after they had indeed 'done that' then at the board distraughtly, before nodding.

Yutide speaks up, "The champions have turned against us!" Ignoring the fact that they'd planned a betrayal against the so called champions. "They have used some kind of dark magic to achieve this disaster. The Scourge made up several of the dark side's pawns and even a few higher pieces on the board of play. The only reason to cause such an imbalance on the board like this is if they are planning to switch sides."

They all nod, that made sense in the delusion that they were the supreme right in the world.

Jasmine hissed, "Send a vision to that vampire Sunday, we have not interfered to the level the other side has and this will balance the board."

"What vision?" one of Grudle asked.

She smirked and told them, "A vision of the location and uses of Ring of Amara."

The other two look surprised but nod slowly. The champions were fast becoming a festering lesion on their collective asses.

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Sunday Towne woke with a start. She'd been spending the day sleeping but now she had this wide eyed expression. "Dave" she called out and got up before she made her way out to see the others. Dave was entertaining Lisa, she rolled her eyes. "Have sex later and we will be talking about not inviting me to join in."

They both looked sheepish but Dave shared, "You looked tired after that last heist where we collected Tom."

"Where's Tom anyway?" they gestured he was coming in from the shower and had no shirt on. A Towel was wrapped around his waist and he saw her and grinned.

"Up I see." Tom then asked, "Decided to join us?"

She grinned and nodded like a school girl before she remembered the vision. "But first I had a dream."

"Vampires don't dream Sunday, remember?"

"Of course I remember I'm the one that told you if you wanted to dream get some acid, but I didn't do any acid; if you recall it unsettles my demon. This had to be a vision" she said with dead seriousness.

"Tell us what you saw Sunday" Tom said and grabbed her from behind.

He did his best to distract her as she told them of the gold and underground places that hold things. Finally giving up she turned around and grabbed Tom and kissed him soundly. His towel was already gone and she was on him not bothering to strip before they both had their orgasm.

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Halfrek had lost to Anyanka but she still wanted to grant a wish to the group. Perhaps she would gain favor for her creativity. Ever since Anyanka had granted the boy his wish the entire group had avoided the _W word_.

She decided to listen in to other conversations and see if she could twist a wish. It took a bit of magic to cloak her presence and she was off with a few of the girls that Cordelia had abandoned – most of them she could understand. That Harmony for example seemed to right at home with vampires she might even see that she was turned just to get her away from the group, give her a compulsion to stake herself anytime she approached the group and she could call it a bonus.

Aura however seemed to actually be upset that Cordy wasn't talking to her. She says, "I don't know why she's avoiding us all" to a nodding Nancy Doyle.

Nancy tells her, "I don't mind if she's avoiding us. I mean she was really bitchy at times, even when I was being her friend." She shrugs, "I can understand that bitchiness with Harmony around. I don't know… I just sometime wish…"

Aura nods, "You wish you could be her friend without the added flakiness like Harmony, her real friend?"

"I guess; I wish we could like, be that. You and I have been friends for a long time. Even with the added clique to worry over, we still knew what the other was behind the mask. If she knew I was more of a bookworm than Rosenberg, do you think she would have hung out with me at all?"

"I know what you mean," Aura agreed "I sometimes wish we could just drop the idiocy and be her friend but she's not like that, she'd think something was up with us or that we wanted something."

Halfrek wanted to say done and be done with it; but two wishes directly after one another she felt the third would be the charm and stayed unseen and silent.

"I know she's more than she seems, what with her moving out of her parent's home. I wish we'd moved in with her."

"DONE" Halfrek said and they turned and had wide eyes not at the wish granted as much as the voice and the appearance of the demon intruding and eavesdropping on their personal space. Suddenly all three wishes tied in together were granted.

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Allen Frances Doyle hung up the phone with a smile. His wife Harriet was pleased to hear from him and quickly agreed to fly to Sunnydale to meet with him. He was surprised to find that he had a cousin in town, he wouldn't have remembered that if Harriet hadn't informed of when he told her. Being in town now he figured he'd just look him up. His cousin was from the demon side, but the Doyle Brachen had always mixed with humans. It was likely his cousin was either only a quarter or between a quarter and a half.

Allen was pleased; the weight of guilt he'd been feeling for the last six months for damaging his marriage was lifting. If he'd known that his wife was on the phone guiltily canceling her first date since the separation, a date with a man she could easily grow to love and eventually marry, he might not have made the call in the first place. He loved his wife enough to let her be happy with another man if that was what she wanted. Perhaps it was that selflessness that Harriet loved about him.

"Well" he said with a sigh sounding resolved, "if I'm going to be working with Harriet I need to stay away from the booze, even if it takes a load to get me drunk."

As a Brachen he wasn't capable of becoming physically addicted to most drugs or alcohol because the Brachen were fairly durable. He started walking near the area he had seen in his vision he watched for faces as he walked. It was four hours before he grabbed a meal, his wife would be coming in near dusk.

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Cordy was sitting in the school library when the triple wish was granted. Her eyes suddenly widened as she felt the collar Xander made heat up just a bit. She now had two sets of memories for the last three weeks. The doors burst open and the two in the memory came thru.

She asked the two coolly "What the hell did you two do?"

Xander and the others all seemed to converge into the main part of the library.

"We don't know, we were talking and…" she flushed, "I think some demon granted us a wish."

Xander groaned having already looked at both memories and thankful he had added the _mind of self_ rune set to the communication runes on the collar.

"You made a wish, what was the wish?" he asked and both girls flushed; they had memories of Xander and Cordy as well as Xander, Cordy, and Willow.

"We wished that we'd have moved out of our parents' house with Cordy, that…" she flushed.

"What Aura is saying, is that we had wished that we had been real friends with Cordy not flakes." Nancy said.

Xander sighs with relief that he isn't gaining two more girls.

Giles however groaned before moving over to the desk that still had the books in a box to take back to the Manor. He pulled out the book on justice demons and flipped it open to Anyanka's page

Giles hands them the open book, points, and asks, "Is this the one that did it?"

They shake their head and he sighs.

They turned the pages a few times and shout out in unison, "This is her!"

Giles looked at the description and turns to the girls asking, "Were you two abused?"

They shrug, "Not really maybe neglected."

"I think my dad hit me on the butt for playing with an electrical outlet once when I was like nine." Nancy said blandly and smiled. "My mother cut him off from sex for seven months and he had to cook his own meals, the maids were told to refuse him any requests for weeks." She smirked. "Daddy wouldn't live long alone, especially if he was poor."

"I am unsure why the Patron Saint of Abused Children would grant you a wish."

"Giles" Xander said pausing, "I think maybe you're looking at it wrong, they aren't children and I'm not a scorn woman."

Giles looks at Xander incredulously as the girls giggle, Giles sighed with an asking expression on his face.

"Maybe the reason the wishes are going so… well…" Xander glanced at the two, "is because whoever's there, controlling their strings, is a petulant pissed-off puppeteer and doesn't like to be the puppet."

"Xander must you crack jokes" he paused, "at least ones that lack any form of rational humor?"

Xander took on a wounded look and Giles smirked.

Aura asked "You don't mind Cordelia?" and Nancy looked longingly at her.

"Because I remember our talks… no, I don't mind." She said and sighed. "I can tell the wish memories from the actual and the current ones feel real enough." She added that last and realized that part of the wish they asked for was pushing her to talk about her feelings; she almost groaned.

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Maggie said with a smile, "Good work Lieutenant O'Brian." _**'They really are like big children or toys.'**_

"Thanks ma'am" he blushed and nodded. "I didn't do anything about the voices though, ma'am. Maybe the HST likes silence and when it was put into isolation it didn't need us all to be quiet anymore."

"Don't worry too much about it, James. We've got that video as well to cover everything. I want your men to be on the look out for more HSTs that we can locate and disable a bit easier than that – superwoman." She spat the word.

"Yes ma'am" he nodded relieved.

Maggie had no doubt he'd have tried to take that woman if she but asked; she liked James O'Brian.

With a grin she said "Dismissed soldier."

He grinned himself, said his acknowledgement, and did an about face in a perfect fashion before he strolled away. She was grinning as he left, she so enjoyed that last bit and James knew she did as much as he enjoyed performing.

She started to set up the test dealing with sound waves for the creature in a suit.

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It was the eleventh of February, the first time Daniel Osborne was transformed into his wolf like form. Daniel went by the name Oz, he'd not had any exposure to the supernatural aside form being bitten by his cousin Jordy which he had no idea was a werewolf.

When Oz shifted into wolf form he felt confused and his instinct told him to run. The confusion seemed to be the order of the day as he woke up in the morning completely naked and felt an inner fear of something.

Oz made his way home, hoping not to get spotted out without even boxers to wear. Without exposure to the supernatural and what could have happened he never even contemplated the idea of locking himself up or that he might be dangerous. He wasn't even aware of his time as wolf due to the Sunnydale syndrome kicking in big time.

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"It seems we have a werewolf sighting." Giles stated then observed, "Two attacks in secluded areas that have a reputation for having romantic rendezvous."

Xander looked over the paper on the table and glanced at Giles curiously, "Wolves, what do we do about them?"

Giles held up a book "Usually there are two types of wolves, according to this."

Giles had grabbed the book and set the papers on the table as he looked thru the book as soon as he arrived at the Manor. The last person to move into the Manor was Giles; he'd needed to dismiss his lease at his then current abode.

"What is that?"

Not looking up from his reading he told him offhandedly, "A compendium of natural and unnatural transformations."

Others were now gathering around. Buffy was sweaty from her sparing and training with Angel. Giles glanced at the two and refrained from showing his smile. A vampire training a slayer was a new thing but she was learning much more than she would have with him alone. Giles had event taken a number of notes on Angel's teaching technique, the vampire was a surprisingly patient teacher.

"It shares that there are two types of werewolves, one is natural-born or those that master their wolf. The second is one that is bitten. Bitten wolves or cursed wolves hardly ever master their wolf side. Usually the cursed wolves are a minion wolf or beta wolf."

He was paraphrasing much of what he was reading over. "Those in those subcategories will latch onto an alpha wolf that has mastered his wolf side or a natural born. They'll run when transformed and usually leave people alone. Even those around them they will be ignored unless the wolves are provoked. The unlinked beta wolf will be attracted to highly sexual charged areas looking for the most suitable mate."

Xander smirked. "So we set a trap and bait the hook."

"Do we eliminate de wolf, Watcher Giles?"

"Not if we don't have to, remember beta wolves are completely subservient to the wolf only when they are in wolf form. If they take precautions they won't hurt anyone. In fact the general health improvements of the human and longevity make it worth while to most."

Kendra nodded and smiled at Xander. "I will need to be nearby on guard so I will not be able to participate in de tryst."

Xander blinked and blushed while Giles laughed followed by Angel.

When Angel got a few looks he offered up some factoids as Buffy would call them, "Vampires don't charge the area with sexual need, that's the hormones and pheromones interacting, so it's all on you Xander." He smirked and Xander glared unheated.

"I'll help you," Cordy smirked" I'm sure Willow or Dawn wouldn't mind being there to help." Then she added with a try-me expression, "Unless you want Aura or Nancy there."

Xander froze, glared, and shivered with distaste. She laughs at the look.

Xander starts to whine a bit, "It's not so bad just talking to them or being friends, but their like sisters now. I mean I went from not knowing them to living with them and… they nag!"

She laughs harder and then smiles sweetly, "They do at that; and Xander?"

He looked at her in the eyes.

"They think of you as the incredibly hot butt-pain of a brother."

He smiled a relieved smile that she couldn't let just sit there.

With a smirks she adds, "Although they'd still have sex with you if you but asked."

She obtained the suitable Xander™ Glare for her last comment. She had taken to pushing the open sexual relationship a bit too much lately. It was in part that she didn't want to feel any guilt about being with more than just Xander, but also because while making out with Xander, she couldn't sit back and watch him make out which was quite the turn on.

The sex life of those in LeVelle Manor had morphed this last week. That was a given with Giles walking in on Willow and Cordy in different rooms and varying degrees of undress. However the invitation by Cordy and Willow after the second time when he'd attempted to gain their attention to his presence by clearing his throat uncomfortably… it was a bit too much for him. He'd blushed and fled as fast as gentlemanly possible.

Janna had found the entire thing, including the invitation, funny and complimentary. She explained that though the Romany had mostly monogamous relationships, there were a few tribes that practiced polygamy and they were mostly male dominated. The fact that in those tribes they married as young as any tribe would; had the benefit of a bit more open sexuality.

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The group was not the only ones out there that night. During the day a werewolf hunter arrived in town, Gibb Cain was as well and he was hunting werewolves for money.

As the moon started to rise in the dark sky, Xander, Cordy, and Dawn were in the car.

Dawn said, "Come on Xander, we need to work up the sexual energy."

She pushed him back towards Cordy who grabbed him from behind before pulling him into her. Cordy bent over him a bit, positioning her body and his so she could. She was kissing the front of collarbone as she slowly rubbed his abs her arms stretched around his sides. She started to kiss his lips but it was awkward so she returned to rubbing his abs and kissing his neck and earlobes making sounds into his ears that weren't quite words.

Dawn wasn't idle while Cordy was doing this. The younger girl was rubbing his pants and bulge before opening his fly.

Xander gasps as Dawn took him into her mouth. Cordy smirked as he completely focused on that mouth instead of her maneuverings.

"She's got a hot mouth, doesn't she?" she whispered into his ear barely loud enough to let the other two hear. She pulled his abs just a bit pressing her center against his back.

Dawn had spent many nights in bed with Xander as had Cordy, Willow, and Kendra, but Cordy had spent even more nights with Willow in her own bed. Dawn has spent a few nights herself in bed with the other girls too. This had a building effect on the sexual tension as none of them had actually had intercourse.

Still smirking down at Dawn's mouth on Xander she whispers, "Do you enjoy her mouth, Xander?" when he didn't answer right away she pulled him just a bit letting him pop out and Dawn raced to put him back into her mouth.

"God yes" he muttered though it sounded more like a "De Es" than the actual words.

Not even five minutes of this had him reaching an orgasm.

Looking down as Dawn swallowed the last bit of him he tells her, "Dawn, you didn't need to do that."

She licked a bit of her lips and smiled widely, "I wanted to, and this is the perfect opportunity."

Cordelia whines, "My turn" and pushes him towards Dawn.

He was already setting up by then so it didn't take much effort to turn him around. Dawn started kiss and lick the side of the neck that Cordy hadn't been on. Her gestures were not nearly the same. Cordy seemed to be controlled and flowed smoother into what she wanted than Dawn had. Dawn was more needy and affectionate. The passion for both was the only thing with the same exact feel to it. They both had love in their gestures.

As he felt his member hardening in Cordy's mouth, he felt the love was not the same exact feeling. With Cordy it was a mix of passion very strong, desire, and equality. She wanted to pull him up and hold him to her standards even when he didn't want to because she knew he could do it. Dawn had more of a 'let him do what he wants' emotion, there was desire and passion but there was a mix of giving of self that Cordy only had mild parts of but Dawn's love in that area was extremely strong.

He thought of Willow and realized her love for him was also mixed in as well. Kendra, he wasn't sure she loved him yet or not. She was so reserved, she enjoyed him and he thought she was growing to love him but she didn't love him yet because in part she didn't know how. Perhaps he was wrong on that last part, perhaps she was only learning to express that love but he would enjoy it.

He said "God Cordy!"

She pulled back and huskily asked, "Xander!"

Confused on why she stopped _just then_, "Cordy?"

Cordelia smirks and Dawn grins before the latter grabs his hand and former whispered into his ear with a husky voice, "She's trying to say that we came prepared."

He felt where Dawn had placed his hand, there was bare flesh there and he moved his fingers in what was only natural. The tips of fingers put pressure up and down her slit finding it extremely moist.

Cordy nods and pulls Xander's legs gently. He was now almost as flat as he would be in bed. Cordelia smiled as she climbed onto Xander's midsection.

Xander didn't move his hand from Dawn's hot moist center, his fingers finding the suction quite telling, but it wasn't nearly as pleasurable as the tight hot vice his member was enjoying.

"God Xander, you're large" said Cordy as she rotated her hips rubbing her clit on his pubic hair and creating a most interesting sensation in the core of her being.

As he lifted his hips with the downward motion and worked his hand in Dawn's tight core the entire care filled with moans and groans and the entire area radiated sexual energy. It was of no surprise that the three no longer recalled the reason for the visit to the secluded area and the wolf was long forgotten by the randy teens.

Kendra didn't forget, though the moans and sex were quite the pleasurable distraction. Kendra thought of it _**'I will join them at LeVelle Manor tonight; I will need my own release once the wolf is safely subdued.'**_

Kendra stilled and cocked her head listening to a sound of the wolf coming towards her; she went to the shadows to ensure it was the wolf. She was shocked to see the wolf captured by a human. She thought the man had been in the right of things until he pulled out a knife and started to skin the wolf. Her eyes narrowed when she witnesses this and she attacked.

Cain not knowing who was attacking didn't want the wounded wolf at his back so slit his throat thinking he'd collect a second wolf's hide. His eyes widened when he took on the human form and a girl at that. A second later he felt her hit and his sternum shattered and his heart crushed.

Kendra looked down at the dieing man, the body and mind would take a few moments to die. She spat on him before she went to check the wolf that was obviously dead because he wasn't wolf anymore. The now human body wasn't quite dead and she held the young man she'd seen in the school as he was dieing. She knew that he would; that wound would even kill a slayer, but she also spotted the sliver in the edge of the knife the hunter used. She still tried to stem the flow out of reflex but it was no use.

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Xander was worried about Kendra, she was utterly upset.

"And I hit him and killed him." She finished. He pulled his pants on all the way and followed the now fleeing and distraught slayer. She was showing him where the hunter's body was.

"You did the right thing, Kendra." He said and pulled the necklace Cain had on him out to show her. "These look like wolves claws. He didn't just kill them he tortured them."

She looked sickened. "He was likely in it for the thrill though he might have been a dealer of some kind. I'll grab his things and burn the body. We should burry Oz." He said and she nodded. The group got to work and soon the task was done. They made their way to the care and back to the Manor.

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"This is O'Brian" the solder said. He'd not recorded the fight and after the girl was so distraught he wasn't going to share what he saw about her.

"We have the werewolf remains it seems a hunter attacked it and was killed by it before it died. A few civilians buried the body of the wolf and burn the corpse of the murder likely they thought he was an HST…" he said. It made sense for those not in the know.

"I'll send a retrieval team out. Mark the grave with a beacon. They'll do it in the daylight."

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"His name was Cain and he was a known hunter. Who was the wolf?"

"Oz, he's from the band that plays at the bronze."

"He's a senior this year too. He saved my life when the Taraka attacked." Willow said sad, "I thought he was sort of cute." She pouted but there were tears in her eyes.

Xander hugged her. For some reason she felt extreme loss at the boy's death.

Kendra looked worse for the wear as well, but he knew she was more sorrow over her killing this Cane.

Xander said, "He won't hunt anymore wolves. He's dead now and good riddance." as Kendra started to cry in earnest. Soon she was asleep in his arms. Willow was dragged off by Cordy to couch and held solidly between her and Dawn.

"Giles does the slayer have some mystical reason they don't kill humans?"

"I am unsure Xander, there is quite a bit that isn't known about slayers. What we do know is rather limited."

"I think we should check. Kendra, at first, was very justified but as the time went on she felt more and more guilty. While I'll admit a little guilt over it is warranted, as is anytime we have to take a human life, but it feels…"

"I'll check with my journals. With the Council out of the loop I don't want them informed. This will limit the research."

He nodded at the elder man, "Maybe we can find a way to neutralize it, with Ted Buffy felt extreme guilt too, and that was with him snooping through her things as well as hitting her."

He paused and nodded, "It also was after the main essence of the slayer was departed from Buffy."

Xander nodded and closed his eyes. Giles smiled that was Xander's way to open up the mind book of runes. Suddenly he knew Xander had found something because he started to smile. Giles hands him a pad of paper and pencil as soon as Xander's eyes were open.

Xander nods his thanks and explains while drawing, "This should prevent any mystical backlash from something five or more view as justified; it should be of a group of seven just in case one or two don't view it as justified."

Seeking clarification Giles asks, "Prevent any backlash?"

Xander nods, "It's more along the lines of spreading the backlash throughout those that feel the action was necessary or justified. In this case we draw this rune on her forehead with simple marker and tell her truthfully that she was justified in whatever action is causing the backlash then that we share the responsibility."

Giles looks curious, thinking of the marking as similar as when he and his friends summoned Eyghon but that mark was a tattoo not a marker, "What will it cause?"

Xander clarifies the details from the information he has in his mind concerning the rune for this particular ritual, "Our united feeling of justification should over power the guilt however if we really are in doubt it would lend that doubt to her guilt and spread the extra layer of guilt within the group."

Giles nodded and left to talk to the others.

Xander turns to Willow. "Do you want to do this too Wills?"

"Yes, it's not her fault and I don't think it was wrong to stop him. Could she have broken his arms or something? Yes, but with this town he'd be out and about again to hurt more wolves by the next full moon. No he needed dealt with from the start, I don't like it but it needed doing."

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The small ritual worked and they all felt the guilt to some degree but it passed quickly and Kendra felt the relief from it.

"I think that if this ever happens again we should do the same thing." Jenny said, "In fact anything magical this could help if we all agree on the action."

Xander shrugged saying, "I thought this up specifically to deal with magically caused _emotions_. If the backlash is something else I'm not sure how effective this would be. I'm not sure if it would work at all for other aspects of a backlash. I mean we all have different levels of magic and part of the magical backlash is the threefold on the energy used up during the casting. It would need at least another couple of runes and it would need to be tested thoroughly. It would be easier to just put up a protection circle and disperse the backlash before it occurs. Of course if you don't have time for that than we might be able to do something to help any specific issues which arise after the fact."

Janna smiled at the boy and he cringed, he'd looked up information on using magic against vampires and had passed it off because of the backlash, well that and the picture were extremely distracting.

"Speaking of magic…" He broached a shift in the topic away from his researching magic.

The others all shared a smile at that.

Xander shrugs, "We need to test the magic levels of the group. We need to find out who has the best chance of working together because I should have the warding rune-sets inscribed soon. Provided Giles has located more old-goat bones – those last dusted yesterday when the runes overpowered them. When you get them I have a few additions to add that I didn't think of until now, not that it will need more powerful materials…"

Giles nodded, "I have" he confirmed, "a contact who sent me some bones that are from some elder goats and been aged for decades, according to the contact. They haven't been tested for their age yet."

"I can do that" Willow chirped in, "I wanted to try out some of the equipment the science department has." She smiled before continuing in a Willow Babble about checking the something or other about the bones to see if something was something.

Xander had made sure to ignore this part instead thinking of ways to check with a rune set. He smiled and shook his head. "We can check with a rune set inscribed on a wooden platform. That will tell us the species the bone is from, how long ago the bone was extracted, that the goat was not diseased, and that the bones will hold enough magic for what we want."

Willow glared at him for interrupting but her eyes twinkled. She knew he was doing this just to get out of listening to how much fun she'd have using all the new gear they had and likely because he suspected, rightfully so, that she would require his participation in using said equipment.

Seeing the look Xander shifted the subject again, "Any new deaths or anything we need to worry about Giles?"

"The last few days there have been numerous patient admittances to the local hospital with concern for mental illness. The upsurge has increased from nil to several in days, a large factor?" He glances at Willow.

"He's right" Willow said frowning. "Before now the, Hellmouth effect seemed to stabilize peoples' sanity to a great degree. The one or two every five years due to old age and extreme factors contributing to some neurological imbalance. Now there have been twelve in the last week alone, right after the Scourge arrived."

"Could they be related?" Jenny asked shocked.

"They could be" Giles said pulling off his glasses and pinching his nose. "The simple fact of the matter is the Scourge is a creative outlet for the demons. They often experiment with ways to eliminate or keep caged humanity. This could have easily been their ploy to release something into the air or into a number of homes. The locations of their homes aren't a factor but Willow is running the numbers in a pattern following format similar to the FBI Profiling of a serial killer. I'm unsure how to test for any biological imperatives."

Xander muttered just loud enough, "Another thing to add to the rune collars"

"Beg your pardon, Xander?" Giles asked.

"Runes to reject, or help your natural resistance reject, the poison, toxin, and well I'll put parasite and that should work for viruses as they are parasitical, right?" he glanced at Willow

She shrugged, "They should be. They live by replication and need a host to infect, I suppose they could live off bacteria indefinably, depends on how you look at it I suppose."

"It shouldn't hurt to add it and it's a physical effect rune that is constant. It might wear you out the first day though." He told everyone. They all nod it was important.

"Something one of the local mothers said in passing. I looked for it but didn't find anything." Jenny spoke up, "She said there were two dead children in the park that had some symbols on them. She was talking about witchcraft and how it was evil, it didn't sit right."

"Really" Xander said confused. "I would think two children dead would have shown up in the paper at least?" he looked questioningly at Giles; he too was at a loss.

Willow shook her head that the incident never made it to the Coroner's Office

"I thought she might have made it up but she was extremely" Janna gave a pause, "She was extremely – hyped."

Xander blinked and frowned, "Witchcraft is somewhat abnormal." He stated, "I mean if she saw it and knew what it was from first glance not something she was told…" he looked at Giles and Willow but he didn't have to continue.

"The Hellmouth effect" Cordy piped in.

Xander smiled and nodded but Giles still hadn't gotten it so in a bland tone he said, "So she notices witchcraft and not vampires?"

Giles groans at the fact that he'd missed that, "Xander, why is it you are spotting that out?"

Xander blushed at the backhanded praise from his mentor even if it was meant to be sardonic praise.

Buffy was still confused thinking, _**'What demon would frame some poor witch?'**_ but she voices, "What did he spot out?"

Angel closed his eyes and groaned, he pulled her to him and she smiled and leaned back.

Nancy spoke up; "He pointed out that the woman preaching _witchcraft is evil_ is being affected in some way, like a compulsion to say it. There probably aren't any dead bodies to worry about just some magic user stirring up another Salem type event." Aura nodded and smiled.

Buffy asked still a bit confused on how they determined that. "But what could do that, I mean is it like Amy was last year?"

Dawn shrugs, "I don't know." She turned into her impishly bratty sister persona, she'd practiced acting like this just so she could find the time to annoy her sister. "But, Giles has like, all these books here, so I'm like sure, we're all going to, like find out."

Buffy glared at her sister but the smile Dawn had was too much to maintain it so she huffed instead, gaining a few chuckles.

It was the Aura and Nancy affect on Dawn, they brought out her bratty sister persona quite well. It was simple really she'd not found them sexually appealing at all and they connected on a level that was almost sister like. It wasn't like with her and Buffy who had gotten close after the spell ended; instead it was that they often annoyed the shit out of her doing these, tedious little things, like trying to give her a make over.

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	9. 9: Swords, Ring, and Full Circle

The Scooby Gang

Book I: Buffy vs. Powers

Disclaimer: I have no property rights to any published or copyrighted material that is reserved to those that make money from ideas which I do not.

Summery: This is the first book in a series. This takes place in a Buffy-Parallel verse that things happened a bit differently than they did in Cannon.

Warning: Multi Ship M/FFF ahead!

CHAPTER 9: Swords, Ring, and Full Circle

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The remainder of February seemed to fly by; the group had kept busy with research. The norm of it was to bring some books from the Manor, a select few or use the computer or internet, which was what Willow or Janna preferred. The group was often doing homework to keep occupied and when they got sit of researching demons or magic. There were the odd little things that popped up and served as thankful distractions usually caused from the previous nights patrols but they were less cumbersome than sitting and researching for Buffy and at times Kendra.

Kendra, Buffy, and Angel patrolled the most of the group so of course they were the first and most often to bare the brunt of surprises. The latest surprise was vampires carrying swords. The sword carrying vampires that were actually somewhat skillful showed up on the Thursday evening patrol. The fight lasted for almost an hour, not because the three vampires were plainly visible, but the four that were hidden as back up, or appeared that way.

"We need to get these swords to Giles" Angel said actually breathing hard. It shouldn't have been an automatic function for a vampire but with a heart beating a bit every time the inner demon starts to get any pleasure, such as from sex or violence, it gave him the effect of needing air, actual oxygen.

Buffy frowned in concentration; she whined after a moment's effort, "I can't quite focus enough to comm. him."

Angel nods and guesses, "I think, without a visual reference, the link needs a strong emotional attachment mixed with a desire to see and talk with whomever you are attempting to communicate with."

Kendra smirks and concentrates, a moment later she speaks up, "Xander's let Watcher Giles know dat we are coming home wit de swords." The dark skinned slayer held this smirk on her face that said she didn't relay the entire message she'd just received.

Buffy gently teases her about the look, "What else did Xander say?"

Kendra blushed slightly and challenged, "Dat is not of your concern, unless you want it to be?"

Angel stayed silent. To be honest, with the relationship Xander had with the other girls he wouldn't mind being in an open relationship, but he wasn't going to say that. Angelus had Darla and Dru quite often but some of that was to show one up against Spike.

Buffy's reply was softly spoken, "I think I have enough with Angel."

Kendra nodded, "I told Xander dat one was short and de other long. Giles says day be El Eliminati." She cocked her head to the said and nodded. "He says we need to look for a crypt wit de name Gleaves on it. Dere be dis amulet dat dey are after in de crypt."

They searched it out and found the crypt it wasn't much to it but they took the swords and amulet to the Manor.

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The jewel encrusted swords were antiques but Xander enjoyed learning the runes on the swords and it had him centupling a few ideas on making their own. The jewels on the weapons Xander found to be magical stores for the runes on the swords to use. The swords were old and the runes had long ago been rubbed off to the point that the swords lacked ability to utilize the runes. Timing, Xander was sure, for the runic erosion had occurred around the time that the Vampire Duelist Cult had joined the demon Balthazar.

"You know, Giles, this tome doesn't tell us how Balthazar died."

Giles frowned and nodded slowly. "Only that it occurred a hundred years ago, and if my estimation of the location is right… it might very well be here. The sunny valley is not a very descriptive account, but the fact was the amulet he had is here and the Gleaves family is old money that was around for the founding of Sunnydale…" the Watcher shrugs.

Xander called out as he turned, "Angel?"

Angel looks up.

"Could you check with Willy and your other sources? I'd like to find out if this Balthazar Yoo-hoo is making a come back?"

He frowned with worry but nods. The worrying frown was because he couldn't help but wonder, _**'Why didn't I think of that, I had all the information Xander had for longer even. I even fought the damned sword wielding vampires.'**_

"I'll do it tonight. Buffy went to bed early and I'm still a bit restless."

Xander nodded and tossed him a deck of cards. They had images on it. He looked at the top one and smiled. It was a picture of Giles.

"Willow took the pictures Monday. They came in while you were asleep this afternoon."

He nodded. It was a given that he would sleep during the day, no use in having a mailman or delivery service dusting him when he answered the door. They wouldn't have worried on that previously but with the PTBs causing issues it wasn't a chance they wanted to take.

"Thanks" he said with a smile and left.

"These are rather ingenious" Giles said, he noticed the cards were all spades.

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Sunday and her group of slaves, um workers, um, minions, um a friends and fellow vampires, yes friends and fellow vampires were working constantly. They had Tom pick up the blood from the butcher, not because it was safer but because it was quicker than hunting and they had plenty of money. The taste wasn't bad enough to quit digging long enough to hunt. They quite when they were exhausted; after they rested they started again ignoring the day and night. It had taken a week to get to the location in the dream. They had finally found the ring, the Gem of Amara. It was night whey they got out of the dirty underground. Sunday was the first out and by chance or design Angel had just come from the Manor about five minutes previous.

"Finally I found it."

"Sunday, maybe we should save it for when we nee…" He crumbled to dust. Sunday shook her head.

"Anyone else want to challenge my having the ring on?" she held it between her fingers tauntingly.

Angel wasn't sure what the ring was but he could feel the power in the ring and came out from the shadows and snatched it from her hands as he slammed the stake home. She had the moment to look surprised and Angel attacked the other three vampires while holding the ring and found that it was easy to stake them.

The dust was settling and he looked down at the ring, about to slip it into his pocket, when he recognized it. He couldn't help but think of walking in the sun with Buffy and slipped it on for size. His eyes widened as his heart started racing in his chest. Painfully at first an then the stark pain ebbed from his feeling it, the demon within was in extreme pain.

He was going to take it off when the pain he felt lessened and he felt his demon screaming in agony as the gem tried to heal the hurt of life in his heart. It wasn't an intrusion that could be pushed out, it was what belonged, and so the gem could not remove it. It could only prevent his dusting and heal the pain instantly causing the pain to return in force which in turn caused the two magics to gain strength in him as they battled.

He pulled out a 'Trump' and contacted Giles. The contact went through without issue and he smiled as Giles seemed to be worried and then shocked.

He went about checking with Willy and a demon named Clem before he hit the sewers and found a dweller there that was more fungus than demon but at least it could talk.

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Checking the ring over, neither Giles nor Janna could tell what exactly the effect would be outside of giving Angel invulnerability to Vampiric lethality.

"Anything that could kill a vampire would not hinder you so long as this ring was within effective range of the demonic center. It does not, however, empower the demon, so you should be safe."

"Thanks Giles, I didn't even think of that I was only seeing if it fit I recognized it as soon as I laid eyes on it. I knew" he paused, "instinctually what it did."

Xander came in from the door way. He'd heard Angel return and wanted to know about Balthazar. Now however he was curious about the ring.

"Will any vampire that sees it know it?"

"If they have the blood to be a master yes, minions don't get the instinctual vampire know how" Angel was gesturing as he spoke; his face showing a small grin. He'd really loosened since Buffy's birthday, often acting in a fashion that the younger crowd would.

"So you need to get some anesthetic or tranquilizer and have Giles do an exploratory surgery and set the ring near your heart."

The others blinked; Giles said "Damn he's right. If a vampire you're fighting gets away you'll have every vampire around vying for your blood and that ring."

Angel sighed but nodded agreement with a grimace.

Xander smiled and said "I'll get Willow."

Angel was confused and voiced it with a, "Huh?"

Giles explained the younger man's reasoning as said young man was already absent. "She's the best student of the lot when it comes to biology; unless Kendra has studied human anatomy." Angel opens his mouth but before he can comment Giles quickly adds, "Jokes aside."

Angel smirked at the door Xander had exited through and glanced back at Giles. Giles had a consternated look on his face. Xander had grown up quite a bit. Perhaps it was the wish or if not perhaps the connection made when Angel put the whammy on him. Giles wasn't sure, but the boy had more than tolerated the master vampire's presence. As a result several of the personality traits dealing with humor had transferred to Angel at times. Giles wasn't sure if he understood the relationship or not.

"Xander, what did you want again, and why are you interrupting me and Cordy? It was Dawn and Kendra's night in bed with you."

Hearing the redhead's sexual whine Angel shook his head. Buffy was asleep lacking energy and the entire freaking house was getting some. He had to wonder why Buffy was so tired if everyone else was so wide awake.

"Angel needs to have a surgery to put a ring near his heart, preferably well protected."

She frowned and looked at the ring, turning it in her hand and looked at Angel. She looked at Xander, Giles, and back at Angel who nodded.

"Alright," she whines, "but I'm not doing it! Blood makes me twitchy."

Giles looked at her incredulously but Angel smiled.

"If you make the cut here," she said touching he left side of his abs. "Push it in at an up angle and it should heal up quickly because he's a vampire and all. You need to push it at last three inches, into the liver."

They all nod and Angel looks and shrugs, "You still have the tranquilizer gun Xander?"

Xander nods and Willow turns green and flees the room.

Buffy comes out and looks fully awake. "I guess you're doing this tonight?"

He looked surprised she was awake she shrugs and complains, "It's hard to sleep with everyone so noisy."

Suddenly he realizes why she's so tired.

Xander offers with a smirk at the blond slayer, "Maybe we should sound proof the walls?"

Buffy realizes that everyone now knows she's listening in on their sex lives and glares at Xander for announcing it before she changes the subject, "Yea well… let's get this done."

"Xander, three shots right away?" Angel asked.

Xander nodded. The shots were made and Buffy took the knife and stabbed and then pushed the ring in at the tip of the dagger. The wound healed as she pulled out the knife.

Angel was awake seconds later, "Damn that hurt! Xander, I forgot to take this off, I guess that it takes a few seconds to kick in." He rubbed the collar and not one un-sheepish look was brandied about the room.

Xander voices their curiosity, "Is it still working?"

Angel nods with a slight smile. "Yea, heart still beating."

Knowing the pain the demon would be in Janna smiled slightly, "Is it still causing pain?"

Angel shrugged, "Not me, but the demon. I can feel the energy in the heart thrumming and adding to my strength but the demon is in utter agony, it's worth the mild discomfort and to be honest I'm not sure the discomfort is from pain or from the actual experience of having something I've not had in two centuries happen. I think right now I might actually be considered living." He said softly and Buffy smiled.

"I guess this means you'll be out in the daytime?"

He smiled wider and Buffy grinned. Xander would have sworn her pupils had to bumps on the top and a V on the bottom for a brief moment of time. He would make a joke about it later.

"Come on Angel if you're going to be up tomorrow maybe its time to naturalize your sleeping schedule." There was a tone that Xander hadn't recognized in Buffy there, at least not until he recalled where he'd heard it previously and what that tone had lead to.

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Allen Frances Doyle made his way with Harriet to Hampton Ave. Allen knocked on the door.

"Yes" the man answered, "Allen?" he asked shocked. "I haven't seen you in ages. Come on in." He ushered them in and snapped his fingers, a servant approached.

"Yes Mr. Doyle?"

"I'd like a brand… a few cokes" he amended, she left. "Janet has been after my hide about my drinkin' early in the daytime ever since Nancy moved out." He sighed, "It's not been the best but really I think I was smotherin' her."

Allen looked at his wife and smiled slightly. "I myself have been trying to see if my pa's affliction could be countered by copious amounts of alcohol."

Frank laughs.

"How is Nancy, Frank?" Harriet asked, "I've not seen her since the wedding and she was only seven then."

"She's headstrong, she and Aura, her friend since diapers, moved in with Cordelia Chase and her boyfriend. I haven't actually talked to Mr. LeVelle but Miss Chase didn't bother asking her parents, she just moved out completely. Not that I blame her; the Chase's problems were far and wide. They don't have the Brachen genes to push out the addiction."

He gestures to the wall where the bottled spirits were displayed. Frank shrugs at their curious looks, "Xander LeVelle seems to have taken to the two like annoying bratty sisters if Cordelia's words are any indication." He smirks just a bit at that announcement; he wouldn't have minded giving Nancy a few siblings.

Allen looked intrigued. _**'Xander, the name sounds familiar.'**_

"Maybe we'll stop by and say hi." Harriet offered, "She still comes around?"

"About once a week the last few weeks, we have dinner Wednesday evenings, Aura comes with her and one time Cordelia and this redhead Willow came too." He smiled and shrugged, "They didn't stay long but it's nice to know that they're getting along."

"That's great; I was in town and thought I would stop by. I sort of forgot you lived here on the Hellmouth."

Frank's voice broke, "Hellmouth!?" It sounded almost girlish.

Allen wondered why he was surprised. "Can't you feel it, it makes us a bit stronger, the Brachen might not be aggressive but it does keep us healthier, you'll live longer as will your children and vampires usually avoid feeding on us so it's a win-win…" the visitor shrugs, "Although by your expression I'm guessing you didn't know?"

"Allen, I only learned of our Brachen heritage academically, and then only because I got married. It was a just in case thing, you know. If'n my kids ever got the spines I needed to know." He glanced at Harriet and smiled.

Harriet gives Frank a grin, nodding, "Allen got the spines right before he was told. He'd had a bad cold that I guess only affected Brachen or other…" she shrugged she disliked the name demons.

He smiled and grinned at Allen. "She's a keeper, Janet doesn't mind but she thinks of it as just a folk legend about family. Now what's this about the Hellmouth, how did you know it was here and… damn I can't move away I got business here up the wazu." Frank sighs as he mentally adds up what he could do to settle the local business ventures.

It was Harriet that answered, "Hellmouths, like it sounds but you have to know there are several hells and some aren't quite so bad. A hell is by definition a realm that does not have a _Predominant Standard Law of Physics_. The closer you are to a hell, dimensionally, the less similarity there is within the multiple reactions caused from comparable actions."

Frank was confused so Harriet elucidates further, "The laws of physics are dependent on nature's strong purchase of reality. Out there away from the Hellmouth the laws of physics are stronger than the laws of magic, mostly, there's a balance and it teeters back and forth but here the laws of magic hold more sway because of the Hellmouth."

"What's that have to do with us?" Frank gestures to Allen and back to himself.

Harriet shrugs, "The laws of magic have an empowering affect on Brachen, or other demons, it makes you healthier and stronger adding to your ability beyond the natural order of things."

Frank nodded, "I didn't get much into the demons and such with the family but I see your point. Why did you come here?" he asked suddenly remembering that he wasn't here specifically to see him.

Allen takes over the explanation, "The other side of the coin of the demons that want to overrun Earth is the Powers That Be. I'm not sure exactly what they are. I'm hesitant to say angels but they're the ones working to make sure the demons don't make Earth another hell. They keep the laws of magic and the laws of physics at a balance which will keep the demons wanting to rule at bay."

Frank nodded but Harriet sighs, adding her opinion to Allen's explanation, "I don't really like the idea of super powered entities playing god, but I don't mind helping people out and… provided the demons are evil, killing them!" She glanced at her husband. "I just don't like to define an entire species as good or evil. I've seen Allen spike out and most would look at that and think he was a demon that needed to be killed."

Frank and Allen both nod; it was one of the reasons for disclosure to family that will likely never need to know.

Frank asks her, "So what do these Powers have to do with you two coming here?"

Allen shrugs, "I'm not sure, I got a vision of a few things, some of it was utterly confusing, it seems that there's been a convergence of power here in Sunnydale and I'm still not sure exactly what I'm supposed to do about it."

"What did you see in this vision?" Frank asks then holds up a hand as the maid enters. She sets down the coasters with soda in a glass for each and lifts the place to cheese and crackers with cubes of meat off the tray and sets it near the glasses. "Thank you Dora, you're a doll." He hadn't asked for food.

Dora blushes prettily and flees the room quickly.

Doyle, Allen that is, smirks to his wife. Frank was a flirt and half. He was thankful that the urge to procreate widely was one of the traits he lacked.

"The vision was of a small group of young fighters, a blond about yay tall, a redheaded witch with some minor power, a classic beauty, a darker skinned female warrior, a boy, or man with a talent for runes and works well with his hand. The young ones had with them a vampire that's got a soul, a scholar, and a gypsy. The convergence was wide, I thought they were fighting the Scourge in one part of the vision, and in another they were battling a large snake like thing. Normally my visions only have a single incident I need to intervene on."

He shrugs. "You think your suppose to stop them from doing these things?"

Doyle frowned and shook his head, "I got the feeling I was just meant to be here, you know maybe be a resource for them?"

Harriet frowned suddenly thinking that over and asked, "Were you in any of the visions?"

Frank smiled at his cousin's concerned wife.

Allen shook his head, "They don't work that way. I see what the future holds up to the point of the vision the vision makes the future different."

"So they were already fighting these things…" she stated, "and I'm assuming they were wining or you'd know where to step in?"

It was Allen's turn to frown with thought and nod. "You're right; if they were winning I shouldn't be needed."

Frank offers up, "Maybe they missed something which caused this fight. I mean something you could use to prevent it from ever escalating. I try and get my employees to refrain from confrontations. Perhaps they have a way to win without as much effort and without as much risk to having part of the enemy escape."

"Maybe, I still need to find them and I don't recall any names in the vision."

Frank nodded. "You said they were young, maybe you can look through the high school year book for last year."

Allen smiled and nodded.

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It took a half an hour for the Doyles to sift thru the year book from Nancy's sophomore year at Sunnydale High. The result was utterly shocking to Frank. The pictures that Allen had picked out from his vision were people that Frank knew. One was Cordelia, another was Xander Harris, now Xander LeVelle, the 'witch' was Willow, and there were still some missing that weren't in the year book but what was there was quite telling.

Frank sighs and finely finds his voice, "It seems you might need me after all." With a grin he adds, "I know where those three live. It's with your niece. She and I are going to have to have a talk about disclosure and secrets." He was glaring at the book then shakes his head and sighs adding a chagrined, "Not that I have room to talk mind you."

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The PTBs weren't pleased. They'd already used the limit of their powers to affect the board. They could only watch what they could see and hope for more details than they'd seen as of yet. They understood some of what the board showed but completely missed the key elements as they couldn't see any details. Even if they had a bit more power they couldn't use it because they couldn't affect what was out of their sight or off their board.

Seeing the details they could push an emotion to individuals, hide the forethought on someone mind, encourage rash actions, twist rash actions to suit their purposes, and prevent particular magics from completing to the desired effect the caster had planned.

"What happened to the Ring of Amara?" Yutide asked, "It was in play and now it's been taken off the board completely."

Grudle shrugged, "I assume it was destroyed but I saw no movement with the pawns so I am unsure how. The vampire and her small group have vanished as well. Perhaps another vampire attempted to take the ring and it was destroyed?" It made a feasible enough of an explanation.

Yutide almost whined his self pity emotion carrying with his expression, "Who would take such a thing from another vampire… I mean who would know of it?"

"It is hard to tell, the dueling cultists may have seen it as a way to gain status with Balthazar. It seems they have been taken off the board as well and without delivering the Amulet to Balthazar. That means he will not wish to return to the Hellmouth."

Jasmine spoke up, "Unless he believes it was the mayor who deprived him of the amulet."

The others looked at her and she sighed, as she didn't need to breath, being in this realm, it was obviously for their ineptness.

Yutide the eldest of the Powers said "Elucidate please."

"If he comes to town seeking the mayor it will force the mayor into the open. I am all for the elimination of the false champions but I we might as well use them for our own means. If he comes out in the open he will have to be on guard and confrontational because he's not yet invulnerable. The mayor will be hit from two sides, and perhaps if we can we might be able to make sure it's watched. The victor will be nicely dissected by Miss Walsh." She smirked and they all looked impressed.

"I see but we have little to no power in the realm." Grudle complained.

She nodded, "Perhaps power is not what we need at this time. I will ask Skip to send a letter to the current address with a taunting on it from the Mayor, a mayoral picture of him smiling at him."

They all agree and she sends Skip a message. Acting blind like this was not what the Powers did, usually, but the being formerly on the self planned path to become the benevolent ruler of Earth and control the masses until she consumed them all had long ago learn how to act blind or at least without the board.

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Back at school Hans and Gretta were in full bloom with their magics to influence the population. It was at first subtle with a few parents and now it was the teachers and a number of weaker willed students.

The bloom came full circle Monday morning, when Amy, the last student in class, had cast a spell to make Mrs. Beakman, a teacher under the influence, think she'd handed in her homework. The spell worked for all of twelve seconds and Amy was almost out the door.

Suddenly Mrs. Beakman yells, "WITCH!"

Amy's eyes widened as several students and teachers turn facing her.

Mrs. Beakman insights the crowd, "She's a witch, she just cast a spell on me!"

Amy's eyes widened further and as she looking into the eyes of the mob she realized they were under some kind of spell to spot witchcraft or anything supernatural and then, as long as it was human, kill it. She didn't know that last part consciously but she was scared and panicked!

"Goddess Hectate work thy will!" A student with a knife in hand vanishes in its place a rat was scurrying. "Goddess Hectate I prey the, do thy biding!" Another crowd member vanishes this time it's a garble instead of a Rat.

"Goddess Hectate let those who pursue have feet trapped in goo!" It wasn't an incantation she'd read but she was hoping it would work.

The floor of the building turned to goo and was sticky as Amy fled.

Giles was in the library when he heard the commotion. He opens the door and sees Amy Madison using magic to fend for her life. It was quite impressive and she was quick on her feet altering a spell she'd already cast on the spot. He was fairly sure she'd never cast that specific spell before or the variation.

Turning to the boy that had entered the library not a full minute, "Xander?"

Xander was in the same class as Amy, he knew that.

Turning to Giles questioningly, "What's up G-Man?"

Giles groans. "It seems the idea of the witches are evil has climaxed with Amy, could you perchance take the back way out?" he gestured, "Angel should be nearby to help make sure she stays safe but she doesn't know him."

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It was a close call, for some reason others out of the school knew she was a witch and had captured her eventually. Angel had been hit a number of times and was tied to the stake next to her.

"You don't want to do this" He said calmly, he might be immortal with the ring but he still felt heat and fire was bad.

Suddenly the torch that was about to light the pyre was hit with a crossbow bolt.

Xander hit four people with the tranquilizer and that got their attention.

"Buffy, you see over in the corner? There're two observers; take them out and I'll deal with crowd."

She nodded and moved.

He cut his left palm and did a quick rune in blood and backed up. The crowd had hate in their eyes as they seen the magic and rushed unthinkingly. They hit the wall of protection and bounced back hard.

Xander did another blood rune on the back of his left hand and smacked the still visible wall of green energy. The wave was enough to throw everyone to the ground and knock several people out. The protection rune and the rune he'd made up on the fly for his hand was only affecting those that were under violent compulsions. The more violent they were the stronger the green energy would affect them.

Xander did another rune in blood this time over top his palm and the wound closed. He raised his hatchet and dart gun again.

"Do you really want to do this today? Think hard about your sleeping comrades." They seemed to come out of it and looked around confused, at that moment Buffy was killing the two demons.

Angel was moody; it wasn't that Xander saved him. It was that he couldn't fight them without hurting them and feeling guilty! That fact made him feel impotent.

Amy hugged Xander, latching on to him. She didn't know the other man well enough to latch on to him.

"You saved me" she said, "You and him" she looked at the 'him' confused. "Who is he, Xander?"

Angel couldn't help but tease the lad, "Xander, another one?"

Xander flushes while Amy asks him, "Another one what?"

From the entryway to the building Cordy said "Another lover!" She looked Amy up and down while saying it.

"No she's not. She's hot and all but I've got plenty of loves."

Cordy smiled and purred, "We don't mind Xander." before she kissed him soundly.

"So you are in an open relationship. I heard that you were with Willow, Dawn a sophomore, some exchange student, and Cordelia." She said and then frowned, "What? Don't you like me?" Amy's pout was exaggerated and her eyes fluttering.

Xander however saw the mischievous twinkle in her eyes and sternly told her, "NO you don't, little missy!"

Her lips twitch and she smirked, "I always thought you were hot Xander." After she let that sink in a bit she told him, "But if I was to share well with others. It would likely lose any meaning to me."

He sighed with relief and she pouted.

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That night they invited Amy and her friend Michael Czajak over for dinner.

"So Amy how long have you been practicing?" Giles asked not letting his concern show.

"After the mom thing I… well I didn't have much in the way of friends and before that magic was very difficult; after I seemed to have an abundance of it."

He nodded, "A side effect, she likely enlarged your core of magic. Be very careful though because of her own leanings on the core of magic inside you and the Hellmouth nearby, if you do anything to push your magic beyond what you are ready for, you will find it very difficult to not become what your mother became."

Amy's eyes widened and she nods fearfully.

"You may wish to do a self binding to prevent corruption it would wear off with time, and in that time you could pick a discipline such as you have with Hectate."

Michael asks "What would that really do, I mean besides limit her power."

"It would not limit the power only the method of using it, right now she's almost leaking power and if I was able to push power into others I could push a very small amount into her and siphon off the dross. That might be good for gold and it would help her power build but as she isn't utilizing the power she has correctly and by that I mean her body not her will, it would serve little to no point other than to get her high."

Michael looked curious.

Giles explained, "It can be addictive and using magic to the point of feeling that rush of power is addictive and detrimental to the body. Eventual it will stop feeding on the body and start to feed on the soul. It is this that I believe occurred with Mrs. Madison. The feeling of the rush; do you feel that when you cast?"

They both nod, "That feeling is the side effect of not correctly channeling the power; it can be like a drug. I'm not saying not to use magic only to be cautious."

They both nod, Amy guiltily admits, "I'll admit I wasn't using it the best way!"

Michael asks, "What did you do Amy?"

She blushed, "I forgot my homework at home and so I turned in a copy of it only she could see." She shrugged.

Giles didn't really care all that much about cheating but thought it was likely she added a spell to make sure she got an A. She'd turned the animals back into people easily enough and a spiteful person wouldn't have admitted they could.

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	10. 10: Unity, Wards Research, and Promiscui

The Scooby Gang

Book I: Buffy vs. Powers

Disclaimer: I have no property rights to any published or copyrighted material that is reserved to those that make money from ideas which I do not.

Summery: This is the first book in a series. This takes place in a Buffy-Parallel verse that things happened a bit differently than they did in Cannon.

Warning: Multi Ship M/FFF ahead!

CHAPTER 10: Unity, Wards Research, and Promiscuity

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After seeing Amy and Mr. Czajak students to their respective homes, Buffy and Angel spent some time patrolling on their own. Kendra was with Xander and Dawn who had planned on patrolling a smaller but less vampire active area.

Buffy was aware that Dawn took her lightsaber everywhere and the trio was taking a crossbow so wasn't worried. For some reason Dawn had been itching to get out and kill something. Buffy was sure that it was because her sister was sexually tense and upset for some reason. She wasn't sure why, but the timing of the upset seemed to peek while she was with Angel on patrol was important.

For Dawn she had no idea that Buffy hadn't and wouldn't begrudge her the sex she'd been refraining from since the public declaration of thin walls that weren't sound proof was made. To Buffy, Dawn was legally adult, emancipation and all that, so to her she could have as much sex as she wanted, but that might be in part because of the unintentional conditioned response of growing up forced to ignore her magically.

The thoughts on the younger Summers' sex life vanished as she spotted a demon and had to pun her question to Angel, "What the hell is that?"

Angel groaned at her pun, if only because she acted as though she did it naturally quite well and kept the expression of complete innocence the entire time.

Looking at the demon he tells her, "A Fyarl demon, beware their mucus; their snot, they like to shoot it. When it hits, it'll solidify enough to hold twice the strength of a master vampire." He shivers, "They're next to immortal unless you have silver. Pure silver is their Achilles heel and even brushing up against a silver pole will kill them."

"Where's that knife the hunter had?"

He shrugged, "I think Xander's got it."

She nodded and closed her eyes. He wasn't surprised to find her smiling slightly after only a moment of thought.

"He's on his way and he had it on him." She confirmed.

Angel nodded though he was slightly concerned about his lady love. If they have an open relationship that's one thing but if she's going to see Xander sexually, he should at least get to know of it. Of course that thought was pushed out almost right away because quite frankly the boy didn't have time to be sneaking around with Buffy even if she had the inclination to. The fact that she could easily communicate meant something, he just wasn't sure what.

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Xander was with Dawn and Kendra following a small group of men that were human and were carrying an unconscious vampire with them. Xander wasn't sure what was up with that. It if wasn't for the military equipment he would have stepped in and dusted the vampire but he wanted to get a feel for what this represented.

"Shit" he mutters, and nods. _**'We need to go; Buffy ran into a Fyarl, Angel says they need silver to kill one.'**_

"Much better den following dem" said Kendra with a bit of relief, she didn't like following others around.

Dawn nodded. "We already hit three vamps tonight; we should be good for now."

"And Fyarls are fun to play wit." Kendra said, "Dey make you work up an, apatite."

Xander rolled his eyes.

Dawn said "Come on pervert" and pulled the slayer with her.

TSB1-TSB1-TSB1

The group was on their way home. A throw of the knife and two slayers were able to surprise them. Dawn got hit with the snot it now covered the arm completely and was acting like a cast.

"I really don't like their mucus." Dawn whined.

"This stuff is really hard. Save it for Willow she'll want to study it." He said.

Dawn rolled her eyes and looking at Kendra she asked with a smirk, "Are we there yet?"

Xander grinned and told her predictably, "We're not driving so it sort of loses the punny pun."

"I wasn't talking to you, Xander." She said with her nose in the air.

She grinned as he glances towards Kendra, who had lust filled eyes focused on Xander with an obvious arousal. He gulped and nodded realizing the pun for what it was before increasing the pace to a slow run. They were only two blocks from home and Buffy and Angel were about ten steps behind them. Xander's pace was forgotten as he took off at a sprint while Kendra pursued him with a cat like smile on her face.

Angel and Buffy had heard and were laughing as Dawn slowed down to talk to the two.

"About that sound proofing mentioned the other day, what would be needed?"

Buffy blinked and Angel smiled before sharing some of what could be done such as thickening the walls or using runes however he countered that, "The only problem is that if something happens while you're in the room you sort of miss out on it. As long as the house is safe that's one thing but with everything going on it could get really bad… It's why Xander is holding off until the house is warded."

Buffy grinned as she suddenly understanding the reason for the question. "You can have sex all you want Dawn, it really doesn't bother me."

She flushed, "I…" she turned and picked up the pace, not quite as fast as Xander had but close. This caused Buffy to burst out into laughter hard enough that she had to lean on Angel to stay standing.

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"That was my dad" Nancy said confused then asked Giles. "Do you know what a Brachen is?"

The entire group was currently at the manor and turned to her at her question.

Giles nods and shares, "A demon, pacifist, and they genetically compatible with humans; at a guess I would say they are one of the few people that were just a bit different. They do have a better handle on the supernatural with a bit of extra strength and health. Depending on if they have enough in them they might get spines on their faces. Some illness will bring it out of them or if they have enough to actively use the additions of the demon. Why is it you ask?"

Nancy looked uncomfortable and whines "I guess my dad is a quarter Brachen and has a few of the biological traits. I get it now, on why no sex for seven months." She adds with a growl, "Evidently the urge to procreate came from the Brachen side of things."

"And he told you this over the phone?"

She shook her head, "It was because my uncle, his cousin, came to town. I guess Uncle Allen is a psychic or something. He gets visions and the last one left him confused. He saw our group minus me and Aura but it was before the wish, and we were fighting different things. The confusion according to dad is that normally the Powers send him a vision of things he suppose to stop or help at and he couldn't see anything in the vision he had to tell him what to do. In fact with what I know from our experience I think the Powers were trying to get him to interfere with us. Uncle Allen and Aunt Harriet aren't about to do that."

She smiled slightly, "My uncle didn't even know my dad was here until his wife arrived."

"I see, and he wants to meet us?" he asked worriedly.

She nodded. "I think, I heard stories about my uncle going on a drinking binge when he separated from his wife. They were such a cute couple. I still remember their wedding when it was seven; it was the first one I'd been to."

She smiled as she recalled her memory of the wedding.

"I see, well perhaps we can have a dinner and we can set up the truth spell and put the light over the door. He won't know if we're not being truthful because he won't know we cast it over the entire room."

She nodded with a sigh.

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The plan worked well. It was the Sunday after Valentines Day.

"Welcome" Xander said shaking his hand inviting him in.

"Thanks for having us. I'm Allen Frances Doyle, most just call me Doyle but with family around it gets confusing." He said with a smile.

Xander grinned. "Xander LeVelle formerly Harris but my girls wanted to torture me by moving my middle name to the end."

Harriet raised an eyebrow at the term 'girls', but Doyle laughed.

"This is Dawn Summers" He said she shook their hands. "Cordelia Chase, Willow Rosenberg, Rupert Giles, Kendra," he said pausing between each name. "Buffy Summers" Harriet smiled slightly. "This is Angel" he said and they shook his hand too.

A few side effects for Angel's heart beating was that blood pumping warmed his hands, and gave him a hunger for normal foods. That had come as a surprise by way of his gurgling gut telling him he was hungry.

If Doyle hadn't seen his vision he'd not have any inkling that Angel was a vampire.

"You know Nancy" said Xander with jest, "and Aura."

He pointed with their names and they waved.

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Dinner had been great. Doyle shared what he knew from the vision. The Orb of Thesulah they were using as a Truth Orb never hit the reddish color of a lie and had only turned slightly yellow a few times when things were touched a bit more personal. However his surprise at his niece being in this town was genuine.

The fact was he'd had to look hard for the town before he arrived.

Allen shared, "I'm not sure how much I trust the Powers, they're quite powerful and I can't see how they could be that powerful and allow things to happen that I believe they could prevent. It seems to me that they allow things to happen that are bad that suit their agenda, like me first vision. The vision came too late to even see the… event, much less stop it. I always felt so guilty for it, but now I think they sent that vision lat on purpose to make me feel responsible."

He shrugged, "I really didn't break it down until Harriet started pointing things out."

She smiles at his grin, "I've always been bit of skeptic on the way things are."

Fondly he shares, "She's a student of the principles of critical thinking."

With an impetuous smirk she adds, "I'm also a teacher who explains the world to children in elementary school."

Xander said "I think we can trust you."

Giles and the others nodded.

"First of all the Powers sent a known agent to assist an enemy. This was someone that had convened one of us to become a champion and help save lives when they were in the slumps. They sent this agent with an artifact incasing an old one which could suck the world into hell. The enemy was a vampire that was loony enough to actually try and use it."

The Doyles were gawking at him in shock.

Xander shivers at the thought of having the old one suck Earth into Hell. "There are other things we believe they've organized, such as the death of Mrs. Summers. We suspect they've had a hand in a few of the things we've encountered. There seems to be some kind of limit on what they can do here. We believe they've also pushed that limit to the max and now that I think of it" he looked at Giles. "If we are their champions and they get rid of us, they might have more power to affect the world. They might not have thought Dru would use the artifact so much as they thought we would die trying to stop her."

Giles had wide eyes as he agreed with the younger man's assessment of the facts. "Yes that does make sense. Going on the idea that they have a limited powerbase to call on to influence this realm they would have diminished their power with the calling of a new and additional champion. When you revived Buffy using CPR they were stuck with two champions that would greatly reduce what they could have bearing on and cede their initiative to the Infernals."

Xander gestures to Kendra, "Which is why Kendra was sent at that particular time; they thought we would fail. If we did, it would have balanced out their power."

With shock Harriet said "That sick!"

"Yes it is." Xander said and shrugged but there was a displeased tone in his voice. "Not a lot we can do about it but sit and wait." The displeasure showed them what he really thought of that idea.

Allen Doyle spoke with a touch of hope in his tone, "I got the feeling of betrayal when I got the vision. Maybe they can only give the vision subjects not actually control what exactly it is that I see, hear, and feel."

Xander shrugs, "I have a few extra collars they help to communicate and keep a clear mind from tampering. It might not allow them be able send you a vision at all, but if you're right then it could help you get an untouched vision or only the parts that are true."

Doyle nodded.

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It was a week and a half after the Doyles had their first Sunday diner with the Scooby gang at LeVelle Manor. The group had really taken to the general uncle of the group. Uncle Doyle, as Allen was called now, had come over every other day or so. He'd familiarized himself with the books, the projects and the recent history of the group. This included the changes since mid January which includes some major life choices such as sexual partners and emancipation.

He was surprised to find out that Angel was Angelus. He'd only had this feeling the day they met because he could feel him or because of the sear vision that had faded. He had learned about Angelus the vampire with the face of an angel when he learned about his history. The fact that he was playing for the side to keep innocents safe was shocking and thrilling.

The three that needed less sleep were doing to patrols a night. The others often would walk and talk on a shorter single patrol during the week. It was becoming an easy to follow routine and Xander was grateful for it. He'd wanted to be out there saving lives but at the same time with the study, that Giles insisted he help in, the projects that only he could do, teaching Cordy to use runes, and the not one, not two, not three, but four relationships he had going on which were each alone extremely time consuming not to mention the time that went in to the way the group relationship worked.

Xander shared thankfully, "Thank god Cordy and Willow find each other just as sexually appealing as they do me." He was on it on his way out for an evening walk with Dawn.

"Really?" She asked slyly. "I think they're hot!" She licked her lips glancing at the door as they left. "I've spent a few nights with them as well. You know when everyone was ignoring me; I hadn't once thought I was bisexual. I hadn't really thought on sex overly much, at least not with people, I think I got turned on by a few guys on different shows and reading different books but they weren't people so much as my imagination."

He took her hand in his, "So was my hot looks replacing anyone else's during those times?"

She bit her lip and shook her head, admitting honestly, "I always thought you were cute but it wasn't until you saw me that you really turned on."

Xander shrugs, "It was the nature of the spell. If you were turned on you would have acted in different ways to have a greater influence on us."

She grunted and he pulled her hand to him and wrapped an arm around her waist as they walked. "You're ours now! Nobody will ever make us ignore you again."

She sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder muttering as they walk, "What do you think they will throw at us next?"

He asks not following her line of thought, "Who?"

She shrugs, "The damned PTBs."

He smiled. "Don't know… Angel is on the lookout for Balthazar. The scourge is rumored to being fought by someone, maybe a more controlled Champion of the PTBs but I doubt that. Doyle said one of his visions had us fighting a huge snake the size of a semi and we cut it in half with your Lightsaber, the other thing was what he was sure was a Polgara Demon. The other visions were things that have already passed."

Dawn smiled and nodded. "What's going on with setting the Active Wards? I thought we almost had it."

"We did, **almost** that is." He smirked at her. "There is a lack of balance in the magical power within the group. Willow, Janna and you hold an extraordinary amount of power, but it's uncontrolled for you and Willow. Willow's power is the peak though yours seem to be on an entirely different wavelength compared to any in the group."

Xander shrugged at her look, he didn't really understand why either. "Janna's not sure but you might actually be more powerful than Willow but the magic available for the warding is about three quarters of Willow's output is currently. She's said it might be because you have a talent with something that takes quite an extraordinary amount of magic but it's like that magic is there reserved for the talent not ready to be used with the raw magic."

Dawn glances over the area they're walking in, cautious for any movement. They were on patrol after all, keeping an eye out she asks him, "Who else has magic in the group?"

"Cordy is about a quarter of Willow's power at her core. Her rune talent doesn't even take up a tenth of her core. Amy has about half Willow's magic but she's worried because of her issues on containment when casting. Add to that she doesn't live at the Manor. Angel's power source is tainted by the demon and Buffy and Kendra's are tainted by the essence of the slayer. I'm the weakest of the lot in raw power, I have runes and fire talent but that is about ninety percent of my magic right there. Giles is about half of Cordy's raw magic but his magic holds a taint from Eyghon."

"Wow we're all sort of tainted." Dawn said blandly and smiled. "So what needs to be done?"

"Willow is practicing control, Cordy is also powering up as many runes as she can to work her magical muscle. The more she pushes into each rune the more work-out her magic has and because it takes up such a small portion of the magic core it will force the entire core to grow as her talent grows, evidently its all about the ratio. Even with all the work I've done on runes because they make up so much of my core I'll likely never have much to work with outside of my magical talents."

Dawn smiled and nodded pulling him into a kiss.

About ten feet to the left a vampire, one of the visiting vampires stepped out. "Oh look a snack to tide us over while we find the slayers."

Another came out from the other side. "They seemed to be preoccupied. Maybe we could pick this up. Kakistos and Mr. Trick aren't going to happy we took a lunch break if we don't come back with good news."

"So how is the Greek Freak doing these days?" Xander asked turn to the voices. They both looked shocked.

"Who are you?" one on the left said.

Xander smiled and Dawn smiled too.

"Why don't you come and find out."

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Xander was glaring at a smiling Dawn as they trudged home.

His voice took on a whine as he sullenly asks, "Did you have to dust them both?"

She glanced at him with a slight smile "Did you have to take so long?" she returned. "I want to get home tell Giles about the crappy toast guy and go to bed. If you'd taken any longer we'd have to skip those steps and have sex in the cemetery after dusting the pathetic vampire."

Xander gulped the glare gone as he nodded. He wasn't about to have sex in public, yet at least.

"But I still say you cheated, you used that Lightsaber and there were only two of them."

She grinned and nodded.

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Angel and the two slayers were at Willy's Bar. Angel was having a scotch and the girls a coke. Buffy had tried the alcohol once and that was enough. Kendra had not liked the feel of being out of control, in public. She would not mind a private celebration with Xander and the girls but they weren't here.

Willy approached the table and gave them their drinks he put a paper napkin down for the blond slayer's drink and Angel nodded. The private talk he'd had with Willy had ensured the cooperation of the bar tender. Willy had noted the change in the group and been willing to help them. The threats from Angel had not really impacted him as much as the boy that had come the day before and given him the envelope with not only a thousand dollars and a leather bracelet, but also a list of his assets that weren't declared to the IRS. Angel might kill him but the IRS, they'd do things to him that no demon would consider, make him die from an overdose of paperwork.

He'd tested the leather at the magic shop in LA; he was surprised to be offered twelve grand as a starting offer. He didn't sell it but was more than willing to have it on his ankle after that. He wondered how the boy had gotten a bracelet that would protect the bearer from enthralls, Vampiric or Demonic. The shop keeper said it also would prevent most people from thinking of cheating him while he wore it; however it was next to impossible to cheat anyone face to face with it on.

He shivered and smiled slightly as he made his way back to the bar.

The girls finished their drinks and pretzels before they left.

"What did he put down?" Angel asked the blond slayer. Kendra was looking too.

"Balthazar is in town and in one of the warehouses down town. It's either on Seventh, Fifth, or Devereau. He said that some of his customers were complaining about having to stay way from the three places and he wasn't told why but it was either Balthazar or another high roller."

"Let's check Seventh Avenue tonight" he said and they made their way there.

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Glory had finally had enough of the stupid warehouse. "Dreg, Jinx, get the others we're moving. I am not going to live here. I don't know why Ben hasn't got an apartment; he's so much better at handling the monkeys than me, working around them makes me so hungry."

"Most gracious Glorificus" Dreg said, "He has been extremely tired when you gave him control and we hold no beauty such as your beauticious Glorificus and did the best we could until you would grace us with the gracefulness of your wisdom." Some times the way they brown nosed was humorous.

"Well I'm here now we are moving to a place with a hot tub and get me a new dress the nasty ones that refuse to worship me destroyed it. See to it that any new Scourge coming into town, are dealt with." She hissed and he said a few brown nosing words and departed. The others all had her things as she led them to the local country club that was by invitation only even if it was open at night. The UV's protected their clients from vampires and demons knew not to mess with them. The attendant would have not given the goddess the time of day if he'd been given a choice but the sheer fear he felt from her presence was enough.

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"The warehouse is empty." Buffy growled.

Angel sniffed. "Demons were here just recently, hours ago." He said and sighed. "You want to check out the others tonight?"

"Let's not push our luck. This was demons not vampires and single demon?"

He sniffed, "One male, one female and a hoard of demons of the same species but don't know which one." He shook his head clearing it, "I get nothing else."

"Let's just get home. We'll patrol a long way around and maybe we'll spot something out. I don't know but I'm a bit nervous about the info he gave us, considering the big bad that was here." She said and he nodded.

"We'll want back up when we take the other two locations than." He said.

Kendra was silent but she did bend down and pick up a horn. "Who ever dis was; dey was fighting demons" she said, "And dey was tough enough to rip off a horn off a chaos demon."

Angel nodded and they made their way home.

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Ben stepped out of Glory's room and sighed. He'd hoped to keep his other half away from the population more than this. Last time he was in control of himself he'd had an interview with the local hospital. It was all he could do to help provide some comfort for those the ditz had consumed the minds of. Even with her preoccupied she'd consumed the minds of several locals.

Dreg or Jinx had arranged for proper verification and references to get the job. One of the side effects of being the host to Glory was his level of intelligence, it was extremely high and add to that he was several centuries old. He could pass any test and had understanding and experiences in a wide variety of medical fields.

If it wasn't for having his other half suck out the lives and brains of people around him he might think he was living a blessed life. Instead he spent most of it devoted to curing or helping the insane.

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"So Willow, Cordy, and Dawn are casting the Active Wards?"

They in the library, it was mid March now. The group had gotten the spells done that Janna and Willow had devised to verify they could do the casting. It was only a matter of practice.

Giles looked up and smiled at the boy. Nodding he said, "Yes, both Willow and Janna are in agreement on that. Janna is concerned about calling it a home and the affect our unblessed union may have on the magic that is strong within her clan."

Xander nodded Giles was blushing. "With our commitment and healthy relationship we aren't worried personally but warding a house without the magic of the clan backing hers up might not be the best."

Xander grinned and blandly said. "The walls are thin G-Man, we all know why they called you Ripper and it was nothing to do with intimidation."

Giles flinches at the name then glares at the young man. Xander's smirk however wasn't letting up. Suddenly Giles realizes that this was Xander's way to letting him know that he still thought the same of him both with knowing his sex life and of his misspent youth.

"When are they going to set the wards?" asked Xander letting the silence go.

"They will need to practice the spells first. Tomorrow is Saturday so they will be doing the wards here first."

Xander looked confused and Giles smiled ever so slightly, "The library is directly over the Hellmouth and so here they will have the most influence from the Hellmouth. I hope that with ward casting centered here they will anticipate a stronger resistance when we ward the Manor. Also if we skew the wards too much and are unable to recast them the Manor would be lost to our use."

Xander nodded and stated his understanding, "And if they screw up the setting here then it really doesn't matter that much, it isn't a big deal, so what do I need to bring? Are we setting the same Active Wards?"

"Negligible differences, we don't own the school. I was going to ask that you remove the runes that would signify ownership. Also," He paused, "if you could impede or sublimate any the hostility within the warded area that would also be helpful." He smirked. "The fact that we are using Angel's blood with this, should prevent the wards from harming him so if you could also add a rune to destroy vampires who enter it would be appreciated."

Xander nodded, pulling out his notebook, "I've got a rune ensemble for that and Angel would be immune now anyways. I have to get to class G-Man; I'll handle the runes tonight."

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The warding was to be done in steps, the first section the girls did was fine, but the second was weak and the third failed.

"It's just too much right now" Willow said. Cordy looked tired as she collapses into Xander's arms. Willow was in Kendra's arms and Buffy had her sister. Dawn was deposited next to Xander on the couch before she worked her way up onto his lap half way. Cordy was on the other half. Kendra sat on the side of Xander that Dawn had not sat, Willow worked her way a bit over to put her head on the space between Kendra and Cordy.

"They're asleep" Xander said and Kendra nodded.

"The wards were actually done fairly well. They stood un-skewed even after the third section of spells failed. We can recast them here without them interfering and the Hellmouth influence is now ebbed to a great deal. They will have to redo the first one before doing the second and third again. They will be just as hard but now they know what to expect. I dare say they'll have a bit of practice over the next few weeks on casting to build up the raw magic."

Dawn raised her head and nodded. Before she closed her eyes again and snuggled into the space between Xander and Cordy, which happened to be on her breast. Cordy giggled and pulled Dawn closer.

"God I'm horny" Cordy said and Willow nodded.

Flustered, Giles recommends, "Yes well I guess it is time to head home."

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The PTBs were antsy, Grudle spoke first. "Why has Balthazar not attacked the mayor?"

Jasmine shifted a bit with frustration, "I do not know, but the demon is being cautious."

Yutide asked the other two Powers, "What of the pawns, have either of you picked up any details I've missed?"

Jasmine stated. "The seer has met them but I am unclear on the outcome. The seer is losing detail daily."

Grudle hissed, "What matter of sorcery was done to our seer?"

"I do not know but perhaps if he was to get another vision it might increase our sight on what he sees if we all focus on him while he gets his vision."

"Let us focus and send the vision." Yutide stated.

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Doyle woke with splitting headache. "Damn Powers That Be." He muttered.

"What is dear?" Harriet said as she grabbed the covered glass of water that was by the bed and handed it too him.

"I seen a vision of Balthazar, a disgusting demon stuck in some kind of bathtub. Nauseating sight I might add. He's planning on leavin' the current location, on Devereau. He'll be gone in the morning. I have to let the others know they don't plan on hitting it until Sunday morning."

Harriet nods, kissing him before suggesting, "Use that communication card Willow made and the collar Xander made. See if Xander or Giles are still awake."

He smiles as grabs the trump and sends a message with the first card. "Xander was a bit relieved. He claims he was close to exhausted as he's ever been from Dawn, Willow, and Cordy. Evidently some warding magics make you extremely promiscuous."

He had a mischievous and ornery look at talking about others' sex life. Harriet looks at him surprised and then licks her lips, "Promiscuous huh?"

He smiles and nods as he could tell she was aroused, taking her by the hips he pulls her close and whispers in her ear, "Yea, see I know big words too. Perchance I might show you the meaning of the word Mrs. Harriet Doyle?"

The husky 'master' to her 'submissive' had her shivering and nodding like a five year old offered cotton candy at the World Fair.

It wasn't long before she was moaning in bliss from the orgasm after orgasm.

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"The seer received the vision hours ago but still hasn't moved from his location… hey wait, look…!"Grudle pointed and the other pawns were moving. They all frown and look as the enemy pawn was taken and destroyed.

"That was Balthazar! They defeated him within two hours of the vision! What precisely was in the vision?" Yutide almost accused the other PTBs.

"We have no way of knowing what specifically is seen. He should have seen the confrontation between the Mayor and Balthazar."

The other shrugged.

"So the group is working with the Mayor…" the PTB scratched his chin. "Is there a way we can cause issues with the Mayor?"

"Some, but not too much." admitted Jasmine. "Our power as you know is limited."

Grudle observed, "The last time the mayor had any problems worth anything was when the chaos priest cast the costume enchantment using Janus."

Yutide nodded and spoke as if it were a proclamation of the highest order; "We need to find a way to encourage the return of the chaos priest."

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He'd had his break and now Xander was back at LeVelle Manor; he was on his back with a smile on his face. Cordy sunk her slit down over his mouth letting no space in-between them as she moan with pleasure and need. Xander grabs her legs from around underneath to pull her tightly to him. His face buried in her scent and his voice vibrating her pleasure center.

Willow was watching from above Xander. Cordy was bent her mouth on Willow's red furred lips and she had taken to using her tongue to drive the redhead to extreme pleasure.

Dawn the youngest of the group was facing away from Xander leaning far enough back so as to rest her head on the lower back of the Cordelia Taco Xander was consuming. Dawn would lift her hips just a touch and lowered them to both gain pleasure and allow her to better grip Xander with her vaginal muscles. This left her exposing herself as well as Xander entering her to Kendra who had taken this as a delightful opportunity to using her mouth and fingers.

Suddenly Dawn had her release and she lifted off Xander. He felt the loss but it was replaced shortly but what he knew was Kendra, he recognized the feel of her vice like passage way as she slammed down on him. He could also tell according to the feel that she was facing him and could almost see the pleasure she was expressing on her face. Xander knew he wasn't going to last, he didn't.

Kendra smiled as she felt Xander's cum deep insider her. She sunk all the way down and sat up straight. She was squeezing him tightly and Dawn was kneeling behind her doing her best to distract the slayer.

Willow was next, she screamed as she came. Cordy gently started cleaning Willow's cum off out of her red fur and Xander took advantage of the distraction… Cordy came was next. Xander was hard again by this time and Kendra dismounted.

The other three were smiling from the relaxed bliss and Kendra bent over showing her ass after standing up. "Xander" the dark tanned slayer said with a whine. He looked up at her expression and gulped. She wiggled her ass as if to show him where and with a throaty tone commanded, "Take me!"

He got up and turned her around when he was inside her so she would have her face in the bed. He was in and out of her and back in quickly. His orgasm wasn't coming any time soon but Kendra had two in a row. Dawn looked at her and got out of bed. She went under their spread legs and started to lick the area clean as they didn't stop. Cordy had other ideas. She pulled Willow's legs over to Kendra's face and then sat on Willow's as Kendra was eating out the redhead.

The sex went on most of the night and they all curled up in the bed and slept until noon.

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	11. 11: Glory, Aliens, and Good Beer

The Scooby Gang

Book I: Buffy vs. Powers

Disclaimer: I have no property rights to any published or copyrighted material that is reserved to those that make money from ideas which I do not.

Summery: This is the first book in a series. This takes place in a Buffy-Parallel verse that things happened a bit differently than they did in Cannon.

Warning: Multi Ship M/FFF ahead!

CHAPTER 11: Glory, Aliens, and Good Beer

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Ben was at his wit's end. He'd tried to help those that had been afflicted but it didn't seem to be working, like trying to empty the ocean with a tea spoon. He feared more patients would mean more attention and he really didn't have the heart to 'dispose' of them even if it was a simple mercy. Those poor souls would be forever trapped in that state; there was no cure for what Glory did to them. Aside from the trouble of her victims being taken to the hospital for treatment that wouldn't help there were those that weren't caught and out in public, they were the real danger. Her victims never seemed to retain enough to regain any semblance of life and it was utterly devastating to the man.

In his desperation he recalled one time, about two decades ago, that he'd used a ritual to help quell the madness and shortly after that Glory had receded deep into his mind. In fact she'd not surfaced for over a decade after that and then only sporadically until just recently and that worried him. He sighs, it was decided; he would try to do the ritual again.

The ritual wasn't too complex and he had plenty of the main ingredient; the blood of madness. A queller demon would come with the next full moon. He would wait, and prey that his actions would end the madness once and for all on the second week of April.

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As they sat down for an early dinner Giles shared, "The local hospital has continued to have a rise in admittance for those suffering from mental malady."

Angel had been working on the meal while the others were at school during the day. He was a great cook and now that he had a craving for actual foods with taste, a side effect of blood flow and body function, he wanted to expand the ability. He still wouldn't tell anyone where he learned the skill and he had learned it as a vampire.

"I've asked around" Angel said as he passed the sauce to Buffy. "I get the fearful response of "Glorificus" and that's about all." He adds, "Whoever this is, she doesn't go to Willy's."

Kendra was frowning at the name, "Watcher Zabuto had some tomes I recall on a Goddess called Glory. She was called Glorificus as well."

Kendra didn't talk much about her former watcher. She'd made her choice to stay and Giles had only asked if she wished to stay and prepared personally for the fallout it would cause. He later told her that the Watchers Council hadn't even questioned him over it which felt off.

"What, you think this goddess is making people crazy?" Xander asked curiously.

Kendra shrugs, "I do not know. I recall the Dori'um Appendi and his writings about the _beast from Hell _and the _Order of Dagon, _but only vaguely. Do you have the Appendi Giles?"

Giles shook his head forlornly, "That one is rather rear, only two of the original exist that I know of."

Kendra sighs with a reluctant nod; she wasn't aware of how rare it was only that her former Watcher had a copy of it.

Janna offers, "I can look online and see if they have anything on it? Perhaps there is a ripped off copy out there somewhere."

Giles smiles at her and before he could comment Xander spoke up, "I might be able to use some runes but right now I don't know what's wrong with them to begin with and I don't know how or why it's occurring. If we find that out it would be simple enough to come up with a method of helping them."

Distractedly Giles turns, his hand was still in Janna's lap and he was trying to split his focus so he the other's didn't notice, softly he offers the suggestion, "Perhaps it would be best if you came up with multiple things which we could then test. There might not be a way to simply reverse the damage done to them or a rune that will magically fix what it is that is wrong with them, even knowing what it is might not help."

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With the group busy during March and April it was uncommon for them to 'loiter' around the library in their off ours, now that they had LeVelle Manor to spend their time researching in. The group had no idea that their lack of loitering and alteration of their modus operandi that they'd gained a silent ally.

The former vice-principal Snyder hadn't really cared one way or another for the Scooby gang's wellbeing. He however did have a very strong dislike for misbehavior or causing trouble which he'd always thought they accomplished without trying. When the report from the teacher came to his attention concerning Social Services and their attempt to kidnap the younger Miss Summers, a girl he realized only after reading the report that he'd completely passed over, in fact he'd ignored her outright, he realized then that perhaps he need to recap on what he knew and what he was assuming. The fact that she was integral to the group meant he missed something.

Mr. Snyder's re-evaluation on everything he knew or could find out. It made he realized that Harris was no longer a Harris, he was a LeVelle, emancipated, and had sold a software program to a major company for a good chunk of change. This was how he was supporting himself and he had so disbelieved it he had it verified. That alone had tipped the scales but it also made him realized that the 'no good trouble maker', the 'slacker of the group', and all around lazy student, was already establishing himself in the wide world of reality. It called into question any and all opinions he'd formed prematurely about the group and this was later seen as a blessing when the group stopped loitering around the library in their off hours.

The added bonus of the wards the group set up had been a great influence in preventing either magic users or Hellmouth from encouraging distrust. With only a couple of visits over a weekend that weren't all too long Snyder was quite happy with his new hands off policy concerning the group.

When the Mayor asked Snyder for an update on their activities the principle let him know without hesitation, "The group has stepped down their times in the library and are no longer practicing their hooligan activities."

The mayor had put a specific spell on the short man that would ensure that he saw the slayer activity as 'hooligan shenanigans'. The idea that she was no longer patrolling didn't sit well but with the military in town they could step up if need be, for now at least.

"The young blond is no longer dressing in skimpy sweats and parading around the library as if it was a personal gym."

"What of the rare books Mr. Giles insured when he became the librarian?"

"They are no longer there, I believe he has sold most of them and the few he kept are in his possession rather than left at the school. I gather he got a good price for them."

This last was an educated guess because the group seemed to have more money, he hadn't really thought of the program that was sold or the investment return on some the money invested from the sold program.

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"Angel" Buffy's voice was smiling. "They're having a Sadie Hawkins Dance April fourth, that's in two weeks. Would you go with me?" she asked demurely.

"Of course I will" he said with a smile and then laughed, "Who do you think is going to ask Xander?"

Buffy grins, "At least he doesn't have to decide who he's going to ask."

He nodded but the event had already been thoroughly planned by Cordelia. Dawn, the youngest was going to take Xander. Cordy was going to take Willow and Kendra was showing up with them.

"I don't know but he seems to enjoy them as much as they enjoy him." He said with a smile. "I doubt it'll matter who takes who with that group. They'll end up with pictures with each and likely a group photo as well, and dancing? I've not been to many, none before turning as dances were, well they had balls and parties and during the parties it was mostly drinking, no formal dancing."

She nodded and slide into his arms, "Do you know how to dance?" she asked.

He smiled and nodded, "It is one of the advantages of being a master vampire. Dancing and fighting are similar in motion if not action. I can dance fairly well and Angelus liked to pick up the steps to entice the girls." He said and shrugged. "I don't like why he learned but I'm glad he learned now."

She nodded and kissed his lips. His heart rate increased and she pulled him close. His body was warm like, living warm, and she felt the love in his embrace. The cruse that was cast strengthened yet again as the prior curse tried again to free the soul from its lot. The soul however was firmly trapped and if you could see a face you would see it smiling at the reality and sneering at the inner demon that was whimpering in sheer pain.

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Amy rushes into the library, "Giles!?"

Giles looked up surprised at Amy presence. "Yes?"

"The swim team, I think there's something going on."

"Yes," He nodded then says with distaste. "Aura and Nancy have shared that there is a beach party next weekend."

"No" she shook her head. "I mean; two of the swim team has up and vanished. Jonathan Levisohn told Michael that he saw some kind of demon around where they found something that looked like it might have been Dodd, one of the swimmers that have been picking on Jonathan. Dodd McAlvy is missing as is Carmon Walker."

"What was it? I mean to say; what do you think it is?" He paused, "The demon that is?"

"I don't know. If Jonathan was more in the mystical I might suspect he was paying them back but according to Andrew Wells he already did." She smirked.

"What pray tell did he do?" he asked.

"He snuck in and peed in the pool." She smirked at his disgusted look.

He fidgeted "Yes well all is fair in urine and summoning I suppose."

She laughed. "I just thought you should know."

He nodded and she left.

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Giles spoke with Xander after explaining the situation, "I think that the boy's swimming team sort of disinclines the girls attempting to investigate the events."

Xander sighs, "I guess I could use some workouts and I've always enjoyed swimming."

"Very well, do keep your collar on if you would."

Xander nodded, "For everything but the actual swimming. I'll put a snap on outside so I can attach a towel to it."

"Just be careful Xander" Dawn said frowning, "I'll not have my date interrupted because you're healing from over taxing yourself on assignment." She said imperiously.

Giles smiled and resisted the urge to groan. _**'He was,' **_Giles mentally conceded, _**'ON ASSIGNMENT, but did Dawn have to make it out that he was some sort of spy or reporter?'**_

"Are you going to go to the tryouts to watch me?" he asked.

She nods with a sexual smile telling him, "I'll make sure that everyone is there."

He moaned at the thought of performing in front of everyone.

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"Thanks for giving me a shot Coach Marin." Xander said shaking his hand.

The coach and the nurse gave Xander the shivers.

"Just do your best Mr. LeVelle" he told the student.

Xander nodded.

His girls were all cheering as he snapped-off the towel. He left the collar there. He'd added a rune to lose the attention of anyone looking at it. It took a moment to kick in and the coach went back to his clipboard.

"Xander looks hot in that Speedo." Cordy said and the other girls nodded.

"Do you think he would wear it to bed tonight?" Willow asked huskily.

The other students all turned to her in shock but they were even more shocked when both Cordy and Dawn moaned with hope.

The two spoke almost in sync. "God I hope so."

Buffy was giggling. She had Angel. She didn't need these stupid Xander fantasies. She totally blamed the thin walls and slayer hearing for the nuisance, but she would add the Speedo to the list after this as she was sure she would have active fantasy material for weeks regardless of the fact she didn't focus on recalling it.

"That was good time there LeVelle. Better than some of our current team's time. You're on the team." He told him pleased to replace one of the boys.

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The next three practices Xander had worked silently as he could. No demons were showing up and eventually he found out that the Coach was putting something into the steam in the steam room.

Sean had told him when he started asking around for anything strange or unusual. That led to placement of a few runes on the steam shower after hours. He didn't want this 'bait' to attract the demon. He and the group still had no idea at that time the so called demon was actually a mutated human fish hybrid.

That would change quickly. Sean had been another victim of the 'demon attack' while Xander was working on the runic etching on the steam room. That was when he heard the voice of the coach and nurse.

"…stop, Carl. Those poor children" a woman's voice sounded and Xander peeked out and spotted the coach and the nurse. He looked around and climbed the steam room sidewall to stay out of sight. It would do well to be found here.

"What?" He heard the harsh voice sounding almost accusatory. "Are you a quitter?"

Xander frowned as he watched.

The coach told her, "We have no room for quitters on this team."

"Do you even understand what's happening? Listen to yourself, man!"

"I'm very close to perfecting this. We just need to adjust the mix!"

Xander frowned, he recalled Sean saying that the coach mixed some advanced type steroids that were untraceable into the steam and Xander wouldn't begrudge the cheater his prize he wouldn't be going to state with them but he wasn't the sportsmanship police either. Of course he might phone in a tip to the actual police after all was said and done.

The two came down the stairs. Xander was listening as they did. Somehow Nurse Greenleigh thought the coach was harming the team. The coach wanted the best and nothing less.

That was when the news fell and Xander widened his eyes. "They're going to be monsters, is what they're going to be. Please don't make it worse they've already lost three." Xander didn't know about the third one but he wasn't going to dispute it. He saw the look the coach had and knew it well enough. He was going to kill her. The determination and darkness was there.

"Lost, why they're not lost." he said and grabbed her arm. Xander dropped down as silently as he could and when the Coach tries to shove her into the sewer below Xander snaps out a hand breaking the man's wrist. The coach screams in pain and Nurse Greenleigh pulls away wide eyes.

"So coach" he said, "made the _team of monsters,_ have I?" He half turned and glared at the nurse. "Don't go anywhere this will only take a moment." He said harshly.

She shivered but the coach was charging Xander now. Xander moved to the side calling on both the soldier's training and the hyena's instinct. He snapped his leg out with a spinning back kick nailing the man in the gut.

The technique wasn't perfect but it worked. The coach doubled over and Xander pulled back his hair. "So you wanted to feed her to fishes?" he asked and shook his head he wasn't going to pun that. "Goodbye coach, if you can still talk to them we'll try and help them back to human form but if not then they are too far lost and we'll stick to helping the ones that still have their minds."

He had wide eyes as Xander threw him into the sewer.

"You are going to tell me everything that bastard knew. You'll do this than you'll find a new nice job someplace far-far away from the Hellmouth."

Her voice broke, "Hellmouth?"

"The library; and three students?" he asked.

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After the fall of the Soviet Union, documents detailing experiments with fish DNA on their Olympic swimmers were found. There were a half a dozen different varieties of fish, shark, whale, and other water based animals that they'd used but nobody could crack it until the coach found the mix. Xander was fairly sure he'd found a medium in some demonic DNA that wasn't used by the soviets and that was the cause of the change. Gage Petronzi was the only one that kept his mind when he transformed and they were able to use some old hair of his and some of the mix to transform him back. It was going to take at least two weeks. Sean's changes had not affected his physical form yet and the changes inside his body would slowly revert back to his original form or close enough that nobody could tell the difference.

There were a few others that knew but didn't say a word about it. The team didn't go to state. Snyder was pissed about the _use of drugs_ by the coach but didn't blame Xander. The nurse giving her resignation and fleeing the area was enough to know where Carl got the drugs from.

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The Sadie Hawkins' Dance was enjoyable, the group had fun and it was obvious to the others that they were all together. Most thought it was weird and avoided them. It was a godsend that Cordy didn't much care for associating with her former sheep. Angel and Buffy were the talk of the school it seemed. She was the one that scored the older hunk of a boyfriend.

The entire group left early to avoid the spotlight of different shades.

"I'm so glad we left early." Cordy said and pulled Will and Dawn by their hands towards the bedroom. Xander offered Kendra his arm and she took it blushing slightly. As a slayer she didn't have much social life and she'd recently watched a few of the romance or girly movies. The action Xander had just taken with her was one of romance and she liked it. Of course their slow meandering gave the other girls time to set up the room a bit.

The night was long and fun and the dress of the night would need to be cleaned before they were worn again.

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Ben was smiling slightly as he prepared the ritual. The feeding that Glory did had not lessened and he was hoping that this would work to prevent her from feeding more. Even if it cost the lives of a few of the madmen it would be worth it.

As he finished the ritual a meteorite from the edge of the moon brightened and soon could be seen. It was falling fast towards Sunnydale and just north of the hospital.

For some reason nobody came to check on the landing of the Meteorite, and a wrinkly gray faced demon with cloven hooves and a carapace not unlike some bugs crawled out of the meteor. It had been called to quell and it would quell.

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"There was some kind of meteor impact just north of Sunnydale two nights ago." Giles said, "I'd like you and Angel to go look it over today, Kendra, while everyone else is at school. Please let me know what you find?" he asked.

"Of course Mr. Giles" she said and smiled.

Giles nodded and got his tweed jacket on. "Thank you, it hit last night so it might still have some active radiation."

"Radiation?" she asked confused.

"Energy, like magic, but more on a physical level" he told her and she nodded unsure what that really meant to her. "I was just saying to be cautious. See if you can pick up a Geiger counter from the school. I'm sure they have one in the science department. If not, I'm unsure where you'd find one but you can ask Willow."

"Geiger counter, what is that?" she asked confused.

He blinked and mentally cursed the Watchers' Council, "It lets you know if things that are letting off radiation and how bad the radiation is."

"I will ask Willow and maybe she can give me some books about dis… radiation." She said tasting the word.

"Thank you" he said and left for school. He had to open the library before the students arrived. Having Janna opening the computer lab at the same early hour and thus giving them a bit of privacy had nothing to do with it really, not one bit. He felt a bit guilty about settling Kendra with the task when she wasn't aware of the dangers of radiation poisoning but he was fairly sure she would learn about it a bit more before she was faced with the impact crater.

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Angel was looking around the impact site.

"It appears as doe it is a queller demon" Kendra stated, and looked at the device Willow had stolen from the school about ten minutes prior. She smiled as the turned on redhead again came to her memory. "Queller demons are summoned by dose dat worship de moon and feel de moon is why de mad, are mad. Last time it was confirmed dat a queller demon was summoned was de Dark Ages. Most of de mad was killed before the demon was satisfied and de madness stopped." She shivered. "Day only had a dozen or so madmen"

"Who would summon a demon to deal with the crazies?" he shook his head. "Is that counter giving us a trail?"

Looking she nodded, "Yes" she was surprised but pleased. Idly she wondered if Xander could make one with runes to track magical spells to their source. She'd ask another time.

It was a half an hour later they'd lost track of the demon in a parking lot.

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O'Brian was with his team, they were unofficially following three that he'd recognized as being those that handled the werewolf. That of course wasn't known it was simply common for the young man to make a choice and the other's to follow orders unless they felt he was acting under some HST influence. So far O'Brian had been up on relying on his instincts and so they didn't mind following the man with three girls that seemed to be all hanging off him at some point during their trailing them.

"Hey what's that O'Brian?" they did away with rank and titles in the field so calling people their last names or first names was the only mode of address.

"Looks like we score," he said, _**'I wonder why the HST is gunning for the four.'**_

"We need to hit it with several shots right away."

The Polgara Demon didn't know what hit it. It had finally found the damned humans that were plaguing its nightmares and was going to skewer them when he felt the pain and blacked out.

"Got him" he said.

Neither Xander nor his girls ever knew that they'd escaped a surprise attack that would have actually wounded Willow.

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General Gregor stood before his knights and Lieutenants. "The Beast has showed its head" he sounded out. "It has shown up in a small town of Sunnydale California."

"What are you orders General?"

"Orlando, we know that the monks died and hid the key before they did so. We however have no clue as to what they did to the key before they hid it. The monk we captured was confused; he seems to believe they sent the key to another time but that it was sent to this time as well. The only clue is the infernal portal that rests under Sunnydale. It may be that the beast is not going to attempt to find the key but instead open the Hellmouth." There was shocked surprise from all the Knights of Byzantium as he told them this.

"We must do what we can to prevent this; your orders are to accompany me to Sunnydale and battle with the beast. Our Clerics are working on ways to bind the infernal portal and assist us in dealing with the beast."

"Yes General." They all shout and prepare to leave.

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The end of the week patrol was a bit different this time, instead of dealing with vampires Xander, Dawn, and Willow were set upon by some deformed humans.

Cordy didn't often patrol with the group unless she felt like it she was much less physical when it came to fighting. She had said she didn't feel the urge that the others seem to have, even Willow. Willow sometimes stayed with Cordy when Dawn and Xander would have Kendra go with them.

"What the hell is that?" Xander said as the men in nicer clothes seemed to be acting like cave men.

"I don't know but they have magic on them." Willow said.

"They could be like Halloween." Dawn suggested and Xander groaned.

"Knock them out then?"

He hit the larger one in the temple just hard enough to knock a normal person out, it didn't work he seemed to get mad and Xander found it was his turn to have to avoid being hit. _**'A year ago I'd be dead by now but we've been working on those martial skills,' **_he was thinking of the spars not the sex. _**'Though on second thought,' **_as he ducked, _**'perhaps the sex was helpful in conditioning.'**_

"They don't seem to want to hit you girls." Xander said and got a hit to the gut that was almost as strong as a vampire. He groaned and glared from the ground where he fell completely out of breath.

He couldn't help it he shot a fire ball at the things feet. He'd been working on that and he wasn't about to get pummeled again. The fighting stopped instantly.

"Fire" they all seemed awed at Xander. "Beer, more beer; come leader." They grabbed Xander and he was stunned but the girls seeing he wasn't in danger followed them they seemed to think Xander was their leader.

"Why do they think Xander is their leader?" Dawn asked Willow. They'd sent a message to Kendra and Buffy's group and the trio were on their way.

"I think they elected him when he shot fire at their feet." Willow said, "But what I want to know is they seem to know English words and beer?" she said glaring at them for a moment. "Xander is not going to get drunk, drinking alcohol causes erectile dysfunction." She accused at the backs of the cave men.

Buffy and Kendra arrived with Angel to see Xander on the shoulders of the cavemen being hauled into the bar.

Buffy giggles. "We really need to pick up cameras for patrols and situations like this."

Angel laughs nodding agreement.

She asks Willow, "What are they doing to Xander?"

"I think they appointed him leader."

They all looked shocked at that revelation.

Angel offered up, "Let's see if this is where they were changed. Keep an eye out for that Ethan guy that Giles knew."

"Why?" Buffy asked looking around as they entered the bar.

He smirked, "This is something he would find funny, change a bunch of people into cavemen."

The bar tender was looking shocked at the group and careful, far too careful.

"The beer stinks of magic." Angel said with a growl. "The bar tender, Buffy would be so kind as to prevent him from leaving?"

The bar tender looked trapped when Angel vamped out and picked him up.

"Tell me human do you think this is funny to make fun of us?" he said in mock menacing tone.

"I wasn't making fun of anyone I was just getting a bit of payback. Those twerps are always coming here expecting to not get carded and trashing the place. They've been acting like cavemen for a long time so I got this wizard friend of mine to cook up a little potion to add to the brew. It only lasts a few hours or until they sleep." He whines.

"Yea and the people they attack, or rape, maybe they want to know your mother's address?" Xander said, from the table the others were now sleeping. Runes were a great way to deal with those innocents he would have to remember that rune.

"I mean I think she might want to know what her boy is up to, maybe a girlfriend or cousin. A simple harmless prank we could drop them off there and wake them up, make sure they get a good idea that they want to mate." He said and the bar tender paled.

"You can't do that."

"Why not, it's not like there's anything wrong with it? I mean it's just a simple prank."

"I didn't set them up for that, they just acting stupid." He complained and Xander nodded.

"So we get them out and torch the place?" he asks Angel and smiled "Than we contact the police and say we saw him lighting the place on fire while on a midnight stroll. We could even make sure his hands have some fuel on them and he smells of smoke." He added and Buffy blinked but nodded.

"I don't want some idiot like this in town willing to do this sort of thing again. He's aware of magic and willing to take petty revenge, who knows he might make some deal with some demon next to open the Hellmouth because he had a bad day. I figured this way he has a bit of time to run and get out of town. If he stays they're going catch him and we can work a bit of magic to make them think he's as hostile as Bony and Clyde."

He paled and shook his head. "I'll leave town, I was looking to sell the place anyway. Honest." He said and Xander looked at him in the eyes.

"You have two weeks to get your affairs in order and this place is closed down until after you leave or I'll ensure that its so accident prone nobody will step foot on the soil decades after the places had been pounded into the ground."

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While the group had been pulled to the bar, they were making sure the cavemen were alright, ensuring the bar tender had no more potions, that he was indeed selling it, and leaving the Hellmouth, the Knights had arrived. The Knights had no idea that the Key was on the Hellmouth, only that Glory was there. This had them searching most of the night for the Hell goddess. It was a by chance thing that they happened upon the queller demon, they were able to dispatch the demon that seemed to be set to deal with them.

"We will need to look at where the mental patients have been found." One of the knights, Dante, stated. "Perhaps the Clerics can find where the beast resides?"

"Only if the Beast is in control of the host." he told him, "But a good idea Dante. You are fast learning to lead." He praised the young man. "What other obstacles have been found tonight?"

"We have run across several vampires. They were dealt with them easily enough. It is a good thing we have wooden arrows." He smirked and the General laughed.

"Very well, call all the Knights in, and let us rest for evening. The clerics have their work cut out for them and we will try again the day after tomorrow unless they get a reading on where she is at."

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	12. 12: The Aspect, Powers Glory, & Turok'Ha

The Scooby Gang

Book I: Buffy vs. Powers

Disclaimer: I have no property rights to any published or copyrighted material that is reserved to those that make money from ideas which I do not.

Summery: This is the first book in a series. This takes place in a Buffy-Parallel verse that things happened a bit differently than they did in Cannon.

Warning: Multi Ship M/FFF ahead!

CHAPTER 12: The Aspect, Powers Glory, and Turok'Han

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Scowling at the board Yutide complainingly growls, "Still the traitors remain intact and unaffected."

"Having the knights cause trouble for the traitors was a long shot." Jasmine stated, "But perhaps not all is lost. If we can push to have a confrontation with them and the beast they will have an insane knight that may lead them to the key."

"Yes that plan could work; I still don't understand how the Polgara failed to even register. We've even gone so far as to cloak its approach from the traitors' eyes and ears."

Looking over the board Jasmine focuses for a moment, "I am unsure as well. What we do know is that the Polgara is now residing in one of the cells inside the Initiative compound."

Confused Grudle asks, "So the traitors are aware of the military?"

Jasmine disagrees with that idea, "I hesitate to say yes. Regardless the military presence does seem to be aware, at least peripherally, of the traitors. Then again if they are working with the mayor the mayor was aware of the military…"

"It was a mistake to send the military this early." Yutide groaned. "What of the chaos mage, did we have him sent already; I don't see him on the board?"

Jasmine stated "He is not yet there but he is on his way."

Yutide approvingly asks, "How did you influence him without using any of our influence from the board?"

Jasmine would have blushed if she was human, "I sent Skip with an idea of pranking his old friend."

They all laugh, "Perhaps we could also send some 'help' to the half-breed seer about some demons to kill. Those telepath demons are deadly to anyone who destroys them; their blood carries with it their aspect. Maybe we could send a vision to assist them in killing them. Only we insure he doesn't know of the blood based demonic aspect."

They all seem pleased with that.

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Ethan Ryan smiled as he stepped out of the plane. He loved to fly and it was much better than driving. _**'Now where to find Ripper'**_ he thought as he got a rental car and started driving north to the Hellmouth.

He was smiling as he thought of the perfect prank for the old friend. He knew that the old Ripper would have found being a Fyarl for the night to be funny and enjoyable. After all they were nigh to impossible to kill and the snot was fun to shoot at people, or passing cars.

Of course his slayer trying to deal with him would only add to the fun as he was fairly sure they'd not dealt with Fyarls so they'd not know how to kill that type of demon. And if they did, well it wasn't that big of a deal.

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Doyle's collar was working great; the Powers That Be were shocked when the vision didn't get received. They tried and tried again, it wouldn't be sent for a few days as the timing they would try, relative to Sunnydale, would always be during the day.

"I don't understand why we aren't able to send him a vision." Grudle said and the others shrugged.

"I think" Jasmine spoke up, "that he must be under some ward of something. Perhaps his family has some magic that we are not aware of. I do know that it takes very little of our influence to send a vision we just need to continue to try and hopefully we can send it when he is no longer directly under the influence of the traitor's magic." Her subtle manipulation of them thinking the unknown magic was from the 'traitors' rather then from the 'family' was flawless.

"Agreed, oh and the chaos mage has arrived on the Hellmouth. He is being sneaky about it as well. He won't get caught this time." They added their cloak to the chaos mage.

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Ethan was unable to locate Ripper's home, so he went to the next best place he knew of that he could find him, the high school library. It had changed since Eyghon but Ethan was sure the tea would be used at least.

Placing some magical transformation powder into the tea Ripper would be sure to use, he giggled at the prank. He added a spell to the chair Ripper would sit in for sure. He looked around and snickered some more. One more spell to close the doors and prevent them from opening for the first hour of the transformation. Yes it would be quite funny; he wished he could install a camera to watch it and the aftermath.

He could only hope that Ripper would be having tea with someone special as that would only add to the fun.

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Giles came in early as usual Janna was there and they went to the library it was their chance to get away from the others and share a morning tea.

Janna asks as she took a sip of her tea, "How much help is the magical workout going to be, I mean with all three girls doing it?"

She looks up at the strange taste and Giles blinks as they both start to change.

"Rupert," she said, "something was in the tea."

She blinked and thinks, '_**That wasn't English.'**_

"Yes, and we are Fyarl demons. A transmogrify spell. The clothing we had on is still there it's just changed. Do the collars still work?"

'_**Can you hear me?'**_

'_**So they work with us but will they work with others or is it only because of our language similarity?'**_

'_**I don't know but let me try the others; damn, I don't have a trump!'**_

'_**I think I do in the desk.'**_

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The others could hear them strongly and they came rushing to the school. Xander had to use a rune to open the door as there was a spell on it.

"Could you shoot some mucus?" Willow asked and then when Giles glares at her she explains, "I wanted to study more of it and Dawn's is completely dead now."

She smiled sweetly and gushes, "Oh thank you ever so much, I'm sure we can recreate it and it would make such a wonderful tool to form quickly I'll go get a bag to try and eliminate exposure. It won't be but a few moments honest."

The others were all laughing including Janna in her Fyarl form.

Xander distracted him from Willow by sending him an observation. _**'Giles, I can trump you with this or with the other form I wonder if that would work after you're turned back.'**_

'_**I don't know. You are the resident expert in runes.'**_

'_**Very well, I guess we have to test it. Do you and Janna will want a picture of you two together? Something to show my nieces and nephews when you to finally settle down?'**_

The Fyarl actual turned red and Xander laughed. The others looked and looked speculatively.

"We need to get the camera; I need to have a picture of them to test if we can us it to communicate with them after the spell is reversed."

"How are we going to reverse the spell?"

"I don't know but I was thinking of trying a purification rune pattern and have Willow, Dawn, and Cordy do the spell casting part."

The female Fyarl nodded eagerly.

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Giles had eventually given snot and taken the picture with Janna before they did the purification ritual. The ritual worked far better than it would have if Xander and Cordy hadn't worked on the runes.

"Thank heavens, Xander you are not going to show those pictures to any future generations." He insisted.

Xander took on and innocent expression and shrugged. "Sure I want to hang them on the wall." He said, "I think this is a memorable experience now how did you two get into the new outfits?"

Giles blinked and Janna giggled. "I have to get to class I'm already running late."

"I believe somebody spiked our tea." There was a touch of a growl there.

"Not us, but it was funny, of course if we didn't have the collars it would have been potentially deadly to you and Janna."

"Yes I thought of that as well, perhaps the Powers are stepping up their aggression."

"I thought of that but this seems to be lacking something of their style. We're missing something but I have to get to class. You don't think you'll have any resurgence?"

"No, but then again I thought the runes would have stopped this."

"I'll need to think about why it didn't." Xander said and shrugged.

Giles nodded and the young man left to class.

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Yutide growled "The chaos mage has struck but with little affect."

Jasmine sighed, "It was only a vague hope he would succeed in this, I am curious as to how they did not kill the demon the Watcher became."

Yutide spoke with confidence, "It matters not they will go insane with the next plight and be easy pickings."

Jasmine was hesitant to believe, she had seen too much of the luck this group seemed to have to be so sure, "I am not so sure on that but we have other contingencies."

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Doyle had a long day he and Harriet had worked out an arrangement she was taking a teachers position at the local elementary and he was working with Frank on his business. He wasn't the executive type but they were making rather good money together. Come summer Harriet would be free and they could spend a bit of extra time together. The spark they'd had seemed to reignite recently and he was thrilled with their new relationship.

He stepped into the shower and suddenly he was hit with a racking headache as the vision was sent.

He grabbed the collar but it was too late the vision was there.

"Damn, don't know if it was real, but can't be helped."

He rinsed off and put his collar on.

'_**Xander' **_he called mentally he was much better at focusing than normal humans, when he needed to be.

'_**Doyle, that you?'**_ he asked and Doyle sent an emotion of completion, an affirmative and connection establish.

'_**Just had a vision, the collar was off while I showered, so I don't know if it's a fluke or not.'**_

'_**Got it; what you see?'**_

'_**Two demons that were killing people, they've not got mouths, don't have any clue as to why they're killing but they seem to anticipate blows and such, you might need to see to that before you try and I think they are able to be hacked up, cause they were avoiding the sword.'**_

'_**You've seen them and us?'**_

'_**Yes, well you and that slayer of yours, the others weren't there for some reason.'**_

'_**Thanks Doyle, I'll let you know, any idea where they are?'**_

He gave him the best of what he saw it wasn't an address by any means but it did help narrow down the search.

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The group went out in force. They didn't want to have the Powers dictating who went and who didn't. They all had swords and the demons were not easy to kill. Xander wasn't sure how they could anticipate their moves with the collars on because they should protect their minds. He had to assume they just had a minor precognition, like a slayer but likely better.

The first demon was killed and the blood seemed to get everywhere. He groaned at the loss of another shirt. The second demon was put down after a short run.

"Next time I use the Lightsaber, it cauterizes as it cuts." Dawn whined, "I don't like blood even if it's blue, and silvery, and shiny."

"Oh" Willow said and pulled out a baggy and stuffed some blood coated clothing into it.

She looked up feeling eyes on her and blushed. "What?" she asked.

"I think they're just surprised you're collecting of demon blood samples." he offered.

She flushed and collected more samples as she explained, "That mucus was completely scientifically understandable on why it hardened so fast and hard. I mean if they coated the space shuttle with that stuff it would work better than the ceramic tiles."

She was babbling now, "I figured that this blood glows and it might have some genetic material. Also they didn't have mouths, so maybe they are like telepathic or something and that might be something in the DNA." She pauses, frowns, and adds, "If they have DNA."

Xander laughed. "The bodies are gone already or I'd suggest getting it from the source."

She pouted and nodded. The other laughed and headed home the blood in the bags seemed to stay the same but the blood on them seemed to soak in by the time they got to the Manor.

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"That is remarkable" Giles said looking at the lack of blood due to it soaking in.

"I noticed it too. I'm a bit worried; blood doesn't soak in like that."

"I will start researching the demons and what aspects they might have."

"Aspects?" he asked.

"A way to share demonic traits with mates and such" He explained, "They share blood, sort of like a vampire master and child but some like this might not need blood to blood contact nor have it swallowed."

Xander nodded.

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The itching started the next morning and Giles found the demon and that they could infect a 'host' with an 'aspect'.

"It is as I feared." He said. Janna had searched the internet and found a bit more.

"Yes, it seems the aspect is normally shared with a mate and the human mind normally doesn't allow for any walls. The aspect is a part of the demon inside your very mind with one goal, to pull everyone's thoughts to you and tare down your mental walls. At least that is the approximation of what occurs until you are completely insane."

"Great, and now we see why the Powers sent us after them."

"We would have gone anyway but I must say that the idea Dawn had with her Lightsaber is a must next time." He said dryly.

"This aspect, it's a mental thing though, right?" he said fingering his collar.

"Yes it is" Giles said, "Already we've started to show sporadic telepathic abilities and I believe the runes help to facilitate our control over it to a degree."

Xander nodded. "I'm taking the rest of the day off." He said, "I'll be at the Manor working on a way to put these either in a tattoo or a way to help us overcome and purge the aspect." He said and left they'd nodded but he didn't see them. Cordy was joining him as the only other rune master she wanted to learn.

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The day's end had the group hurrying home. The voices were clear now and they had trouble focusing on keeping them silent.

"You know it's sort of fun to hear others' thoughts but I have to say that it sucks not being able to shut the damn thing off." Nancy said.

Aura nods, "I have a headache and the sound is only muffled now to some degree."

"We've come up with a solution. The Aspect is not meant to be harmful only a way to share so we are limited in what we do to it. There are three options, one is to eliminate it, but if we do there…"

"What he's saying is that if you eliminate it you'll also be damaging your mind. You'll be shutting off that area which the aspect uses, permanently." He nodded.

"Better than going crazy but that's only one option. It would be a tattoo and in taking it you'd be susceptible to hearing thoughts again if the tattoo was ever damaged. You know cut in battle or scrapped."

"The other options?" asked Giles fingering the tattoo from Eyghon.

"These" he held up what looked like leather sleepwear to cover your eyes.

"They block out the mental sound completely. But the runes are made to help solidify your mental walls. They will help right away with giving you silence and help you adapt to the changes over time. You all notice you are in a bit of pain right now, that's after almost twenty two hours of having the aspect. Using these will help rest up but this will be dependant on the individual."

Janna asks, "Dependant?"

"Yes, you see if you have a strong mind you will find this helps solidify that while withholding the mental invasion. If you have a weak mind it will solidify it faster because it won't have anything to work with or worry about preventing it from working. I might actually have that backwards but it will depend also on the internal walls and the mental damage that's been done." They nodded.

"You have another option?"

"This rune here" he pointed at the rune on the eyewear. "It has the affect of dampening the surrounding mental energy invading or impeding the aura of the one that's wearing the rune. I can add that to your collar but this will make mental contact harder both sending and receiving."

Cordy tells them, "We also won't be able to contact you while you're sleeping if you have this on."

"I'll take this" Aura said and grabbed one put it to her eyes and sagged with relief. "I'm going to bed. Thanks Xander" she said and pulled him into a kiss on the cheek, and did the same to Cordy who was smiling pleased. That was such a sisterly thing to do. She didn't have sisters but she could not taste any attraction in the kiss.

They all grabbed them and Angel sighed with relief. He'd been there watching them work but was waiting. His mind was sharper than the others and he was worried they might not work because of his demon.

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"The telepath demons have infected them!" Grudle shouted the obvious but it was with such joy that it was infectious to the other Powers as both cheered with him

Jasmine's joy however turned to worry, too much had gone wrong in the last minute to expect a good outcome from this. "We need to wait and see the outcome."

Yutide gave a gesture of agreement.

Grudle was too excited to agree but changed the subject, "We should send some vampires after the seer."

Jasmine agrees, "He has already joined them and I can not help but think the symbiote he had is better suited to another that we can control more readily."

Yutide looked at the board thinking, "The Gorch family, they are easily manipulated. I will have a contact pay them to deal with the Doyles and that will clear up the board nicely and give us the initiative for when the Mayor Ascends."

Grudle asks, "What of the goddess, the Knights, and the solders on the Hellmouth?"

Jasmine suggests, "The Goddess we should hold in reserve, she can be curtailed by the Knights and if the traitors manage to overcome the aspect of the telepathy we will need her."

Grudle pointed out, "The Knights have been working to clear the vampires and some of the demons in town."

Jasmine looked over the board for what she could see, "The military has been slowly collecting the demons into their cells. The leader is working towards her goals well that can not benefit us in the short or long run of it, I suggest we find some way to eliminate the leader of the military and thus end the project."

Yutide glances at the messed up board and agrees, "Agreed, it was a mistake to have her placed so early but perhaps the soldiers could be made use of during the ascension?"

Jasmine was hesitant, "Possible but lets not plan that out, we may still need the mayor against the traitors."

Grudle asks, "What of the Greek Vampire?"

Jasmine frowns, "He has been laying low for some reason I am unsure why."

Grudle looks for way to splay the enemy and inquires, "Any way we can influence him at all?"

Jasmine recommends "We can add impatience to his demon and that should spur him to action."

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Doyle woke with a start he didn't have the headache so much as he felt his head tingling. He felt his collar warm. He pulled out a trump and started to try and talk to Xander first but the boy was asleep or at least under the new runic mental protection. He got thru to Giles who was still up and informed him on what he'd heard concerning the demons.

It was confirmation that the visions were his and some creature he had in him and that the Powers were corrupted.

The vampires were easy to put down he simply put up some of the rune lighting that Xander made. They never even saw the vampires.

That weekend they worked again on the Hellmouth and completed the wards.

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"This is O'Brian we're bringing in a rather tough HST."

"Alright soldier" Walsh said with a grin, "I'll meet you at the entrance."

O'Brian almost groaned. Sometimes having a civilian commander was not fun.

"You will unhand me human." The vampire known as Kakistos said and O'Brian glared at him and tapped the pulse rifle. The demon clinched its teeth.

"I see! This HST is quite unique where did you find him at?" Walsh asked.

Kakistos glared at her and tried to push his mental powers into her. It worked but not well enough.

"Get him into surgery right away." She said stepping back.

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The vampire had not taken well to the surgery. It had taken quite a bit to get the BMC into him but they did get it into him. As he was being placed into a cell he woke and snapped the soldier's neck. He screamed in pain and doubled over.

Pushing thru the pain Kakistos ran thinking of the blood and guts he would shed for this causing the pain to increase and distracting him from the bloody thoughts. This caused his anger to settle.

He'd grabbed the shock gun from another dead solder's sling. He couldn't use it because his cloven hands were unable to work it. The elevator opened and Walsh was there. She looked surprised and he glared at her and raised his arm to strike her. She smiled thinly.

"You'll find hurting me won't do you any good in fact hurting any human will merit a migraine." He looked at her and shoved his hand forward with such speed as it went thru her she looked down and was shocked then the demon fell grabbing his head.

"Pain is there yes but it was worth it to kill you."

He left quickly and fled the Hellmouth worried about how he might be viewed by his minions.

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Mr. Trick had escaped the soldier and went to the only ally he knew his boss had in town, The Mayor. He had no idea that his boss had fled and he likely wouldn't have cared by now anyway.

"Is that so, I will speak with the woman in charge and ensure his release." Richard said smiling, "It sure is hard to get good help these days, might I offer you some cross training in Civil Service for the next year or so? I'm sure the Kakistos won't mind after you have saved him from their clutches."

"Whatever boss wants Mr. Mayor."

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The Mayor calling Margaret Walsh did not get an answer right away and when he did he thought her voice sounded strange.

"Yes Maggie, you've collect an HST, a large one with cloven hands, he has been a very long acquaintance of mine and has served the public well. I would like to arrange for his release. I'm sure you understand."

"I'm sorry" the voice said, "Who is this?"

"I'm shocked you don't recall my voice, this is the Mayor Richard Wilkins, the first second and third." He said jokingly trying to lighten up the mood as she sounded upset.

"The Mayor?" her voice broke as she asked.

He frowned as he realized his blunder, he hung up. He would be expecting a call from Maggie soon.

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"That's what he said O'Brian, he seemed to think that I was Maggie, I think it was Walsh, and he seemed to be of the mind he could have us release an HST; the one that ironically enough killed her."

"Thanks Julie, could you man the phones pretend to be her if anyone calls we don't have many women here and your voice sounds the closest to hers. It seems we were compromised. I'm contacting the next in our Chain of Command."

She nodded. It was a full day before they got word. The base was gone over with a fine tooth comb and they found a hidden project that they dismantled as well as arranging to have the Mayor dealt with.

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Grudle complained, "The aspect is not working; the Greek vampire has left the Hellmouth. It seems there are moves in the works to neutralize the Mayor and it's not even the traitors doing them."

Jasmine sighs, "What should we do? The Knights have set up base outside of Sunnydale and seem to be waiting for something. They are outside of our influence, perhaps we could give a helping hand to Glory?"

Yutide asks, "What do you mean?"

Jasmine explains, "Glory is outside our preview we can actually talk with her."

"Yes?" It was all the other two said, what they wanted to know was why would they want to.

Jasmine smiles, "We tell her to open the Hellmouth and we can use it to send her home but only after the pocket there is cleared out."

Grudle smiles, "The Turok'Han, the ones the First wants to use?"

"Exactly" Jasmine sounded smug and pleased. "We let them run over the town, it gives us a supreme initiative, enough to kill Glory or maybe bind her and give her powers to the host and have her become our champion."

There was a pleased arrogance that was missed by the others.

Yutide agreed, "That might work, and we could actually send her home."

Grudle nods, "Yes and we will show her the enemy in case she runs into any of them first."

Yutide nods, "Very well bring her aspect here and we shell talk."

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Glory didn't like it but she just wanted to go home. They told her where the key was and gave her two options but she knew if she helped them first with the Turok'Han she would have the advantage.

She appeared and chanted in the library as the Earth shook. She felt the crack form and then a large round disc like item rose to the surface. She cut her wrist four drops of blood and the top of the disc was opening.

She and the Powers were watching as the pocket opened. As the first Turok'Han started to takes steps they started to turn to ash. Glory watched what was happening with shock.

The PTBs were angry but could do nothing as the entire army of Turok'Han was dusted and dirt started flood the walkway. The stupid demons didn't understand and continued to come. The First was angry and glared at her board that showed the Powers. It than smiled and nudged the Powers a bit. Corrupting mortal was fun but corrupting the slightly corrupt Powers That Be would be a feather in her cap.

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"Earthquake" Xander shouted and the others all moved to safe places.

"That was a large one." Giles said and shook himself. "We need to check the Hellmouth."

"I'll go with you Giles." Angel said and Buffy nodded grabbing a few weapons.

The library was full of vampire dust "It seems the wards worked" Angel quips and Buffy giggles.

"Yes indeed something opened the Hellmouth for sure. But this, this is new."

They look at what he was dusting off. It was a round plate of some kind of metal and had runes on it.

"This is gold, silver, and platinum." Buffy said.

In disgust Angel informed them "The Seal of Danzalthar!"

"What is it Angel?"

"It's something Angelus had read about once." He shivers.

"What is it?"

"The Turok'Han are said to be trapped by this seal and only blood can open it."

Giles shrugged and told them in an academic voice, "The inverted pentagram and goat head are commonplace in many demonic cults. It is representational of the Ram, a demon that is said to be part of some major triumvirate. The seal seems magical in some aspects but I've seen enough runes done by Xander to recognize a few of these."

"It's heavy but we should be able to lift it." Angel said and grabbed it, Buffy grabbed the other side and they made their way thru the dust.

"I'll stop by and leave a note for the damage done, I'm sure it's structural." He told them as they took it to the car.

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"They destroyed the entire army?" Grudle asked to make sure he understood exactly what he was seeing.

They were all shocked still, Yutide nodded, "I don't understand how but yes."

Jasmine growled, "They must have known, they must have had specific wards up and have known of the Turok'Han, it's the only way that makes any sense."

Jumping to conclusions Yutide agreed with her, "Yes, they must be in league with the First."

Grudle nodded accepting that as fact, "Only the First would sacrifice an entire army under her command for a few pawns like this."

They never realized the implication of that statement.

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	13. 13: The Key, Wards, & One Last Fellowshi

The Scooby Gang

Book I: Buffy vs. Powers

Disclaimer: I have no property rights to any published or copyrighted material that is reserved to those that make money from ideas which I do not.

Summery: This is the first book in a series. This takes place in a Buffy-Parallel verse that things happened a bit differently than they did in Cannon.

Warning: Multi Ship M/FFF ahead!

CHAPTER 13: The Key, Wards, and One Last Fellowship

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Glory had her minion find the school files. The Key was in high school and Glory would have her home address. It didn't take much and they found her address for her.

Glory made her way to LeVelle Manor.

"Give me my key" The goddess shouted as she stomped up to the mansion.

The group was shocked, Buffy, Angel, and Giles were absent.

"Key?" asked Xander placating.

"Yes monkey, I want my key." She whined, "I want to go home." She insisted.

'_**Don't piss off the crazy lady; she's got loads of power in her.' **_Willow sent him.

'_**Send the information to Angel and Buffy would you?'**_

"I don't know what you're talking about ma'am" he said softly.

"The key, her name, Jinx what was her name again?" the demon stuck his head inside the doorway.

"Your gloriousness it was made into the flesh of Dawn Marie Summers."

"That's it my key." She said and they all looked shocked.

"Sorry ma'am but I'm not giving you Dawn" he growled she glared and started to move to him when Kendra rushed in with Dawn's Lightsaber. She'd been about to come in herself but she heard that last and thought it would be best to leave the target out of the fight.

There Lightsaber hit the flesh three times with it bouncing off. However the eyes of the goddess were wide with pain as the slayer hit her again and again until she stated to flee. Of course there wasn't anything protecting the dress she was wearing so when she fled it was putting on quite a peep show of a streaking babe in her panties and bra.

The area of the flesh hit by the lightsaber was red, as though it was sunburned and welted. The demons she had with her at that time were cut down and she was not a happy camper about losing her minions or the pain she'd been put through.

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Xander had followed the half naked goddess as she left. He kept to the shadows and Kendra had ensured she thought she'd lost anyone following her and after she'd been free Glory had made her way back to an apartment of some kind.

Xander sent a message mentally to Angel.

Angel arrived, "Hey, Giles said that this is the beast that's making people crazy so you might want to keep your distance."

"Any luck on finding out why she thinks Dawn is her Key and how to kill her?"

"Janna found the Orb of Dagon, or Dagon Sphere, online. Evidently it's being sold locally. Giles also got a printed out version of the Dori'um Appendi, and found out she was kicked out of her hell because the other two gods there thought she was too violent." He said.

Xander looked shocked and shivered before asking him, "What's this Orb do?"

"It weakens evil in the area of effect."

"Maybe…" he shook his head to clear it. "I need to put down some notes. Can you watch her for while?"

"No problem Xander. Get some rest too."

Xander nodded distractedly as he left. The idea forming in his head was still forming the entire walk home. He had the idea first of all to use an amplification rune to empower the sphere's influence as well as adding power to it. It would be stronger and spread further than it would now. He put down some notes in his trusty pocket notebook on the walk and smiled ever so slightly.

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"Giles, there are spells to weaken a constitution temporarily?"

Giles nodded, Xander had just walked in and had his notepad in hand.

"Yes," he said verbally when he realized Xander didn't see him nod. "They would be even harder to cast on a goddess and would make the caster extremely tired afterwards. In fact I do believe we have the spells readily available as casting them in general is a strengthening exercise and the girls have been casting them on the Hellmouth at the end of the evening."

"You don't need to be there?" he asked confused he shook his head.

"You simply need to have a clear understanding of the spell and clear target. The Hellmouth is easily felt from here and this helps them feel for it as well."

"Would we be able to unite the casting and spread the wealth?" asked Xander.

Giles smiled slightly at the pun. "I don't see why not but I will check with Janna first."

"Call Amy and ask for her and Michael to help on this if their willing."

He nodded.

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The leather holder for the sphere was finished. He took the sphere and placed it in it. He smiled and the others all looked over feeling the power radiating.

"What did you do Xander?" Giles asked cautiously at the gleam Xander's eyes held.

"I amplified the Dagon Sphere."

"Angel says to tell you, she's on the move." Buffy said.

It wasn't asked why he didn't tell him himself. It was easier to talk to people you were having sex with that much they'd all figured out easily. Buffy had been flustered when that came out as she had an easier time talking to Xander than to Giles. Giles hadn't minded but Buffy was red anytime the subject came up.

"Witches ready?" He asked gaining a nod from the magic users.

"Get up to the top floor, the roof would be best."

"How did you know she was coming here?" Buffy asked shocked when she realized Xander had predicted the movement of the enemy.

"She's after Dawnie" he said with a growl. "She knows where she is so if she's suddenly moving it's a safe bet that she's on her way here."

Buffy cocks her head to the side a moment and then tells him, "She is. Angel asks if he should come in and help defend."

"No, I need him out there and… never mind I'll ask him myself." He pulled out a card and focused.

'_**Angel, Xander here, when she gets here and gets weaker I'm going to distract her and I want you if you're willing to come in behind her and drain her, Dracula style.'**_

'_**I don't know if that would work but if it does it might have… side effects.'**_

'_**I'm thinking there's power in her blood if she's weak enough that you can get through her skin I'm hoping that she drains just as fast as a human if that's the case. She's not a demon but a god, I doubt we have time to test any theories but this is likely a one time shot at killing her.'**_

'_**I'll do it.' **_He thought to young man, _**'If I go crazy you'll need to put me down.'**_

'_**I doubt you will, if you do… I'd expect the same from you if the roles were reversed.'**_

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The ploy worked. The sphere amplified had weakened her. Xander set out a rune that was meant to capture her attention to the detriment of anything else.

With her focus solely on the rune, the witches casting from the roof, and Buffy and Kendra ready with a lightsaber and a runic empowered sword, Angel snuck up behind her and bit down, it took two minutes to drain her dry.

The draining of a Goddess empowered the demon and the soul as they were so intertwined. The ring helping the Demon and the curse layered helping the soul. The balance of the inner-struggle was reached once again as Angel passed out.

The goddess fade from view with wide startled eyes filled with fear.

In the apartment Glory had left a half an hour earlier a naked Ben appeared and when he felt nothing of the head mate he'd grown use to he frowned. Of course he wasn't sure if he was frowning at the lack of Glory or at the fact that he was almost ghost like when he appeared. He was sure that the distinct lack of power coming from the place inside that he associated with the hell goddess meant she was gone for good.

He smiled a sad smile of loss and victory. He knew he was now mortal, or assumed he was but without her he would have to work doubly hard. At least he had his job.

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"Buffy help me with Angel." Xander said.

She helped him get the vampire with a beating heart into the house. She was shocked that Angel drained the goddess but she now was glaring at Xander because she knew he'd asked him to do that.

"You made him do that, didn't you?" she accused him.

He looked sheepish. "I suggested it; it was the only thing I could think of to end the goddess."

She huffed, "If he dies I'm so not talking to you; like EVER!"

He nodded and she started mothering the vampire.

With humor lacing his words, Giles congratulates Xander, "It was an ingenious plan Xander. I only hope for your sake the vampire wakes up."

Giles wasn't too worried for the vampire and that relieved the young man greatly.

"He should wake up shortly. I think having some food and movies ready for a nice celebration would be good but if our witches feel up to it… there may be another reason he's unconscious."

"What do you mean?" Buffy demanded.

"The Powers That Be" He said blandly and she blanched.

"Yes" Giles cleaned his glasses. "We cannot discount their interference."

"I'd like to have a victory party now, but lets get everyone here the wards cast and if they cast them right we can have everyone stay a week or so as we ward the other's homes."

"That would be a good idea. I don't go there but once a week." Nancy said. "But the idea that daddy and mom would be in danger isn't a nice feeling." She glanced at Buffy and Buffy nodded.

"That is a good idea." She said and hugged Xander. "I'm sorry I'm snappy I know you did what you had to but I don't like feeling helpless."

He hugged her back. "I've people, snacks, and movies to get."

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Angel was still out of it but it was more inebriated out of it, and unlike his father, Xander found an intoxicated Angel to be actually funny.

"The wards are ready to be cast. I think Angel is going to be fine and we're ready to relax and watch some movies."

"We collected everything we'll need for a week or two to live here and we can always go back and grab something if we forgot." Frank said.

"I think we have enough for a down payment," Doyle said and Harriet smiled, "We just brought everything here." He added at their questioning look, "Figured we'd buy a place and go from there with the wards and such."

"Good idea man, you work well with the others" Frank said and smiled.

"The Wards, they'll likely make us…" she glanced at Xander, "We'll want you in bed shortly after the wards are cast." She licked her lips and he flushed. The adults blinked and laughed.

"Xander you are going to have to tell me your secret to getting your better halves to like the idea of more than two halves." Frank told him cheekily.

Janet, his other half crossing her arms asked, "He will; will-he?"

Xander however saw the twinkle in her eyes. He shivered for his own reasons because that twinkle was not one he wanted to see in other women not his own.

"Now Janet" he said placating, "I was just giving Xander a hard time."

"Oh really?" she licked her lips; he completely missed the gesture and Xander almost laughed.

"Of course you're all I need and want dear." He said and she pouted.

"I think the secret, Mr. Doyle, is to know when the current half wants another half to share." He said with a smirk. "I'll give you a hint if you walk in on her kissing the maid don't leave and make sure to make some noise."

Frank blinked and looked at his wife who was now blushing.

Xander laughed and Frank looked utterly confused.

That was then they felt the wards starting to build.

"They're starting the wards." He said with a smile and went to see his lady loves.

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They had not taken into account that the area was now flooded with the essence of the Hellmouth. The drained seal inside the intended Active Ward area, the lingering god aspect of the hell goddess in both the drunken Angel and the location outside the intended Ward area that she was drained at; and last and likely the least changed, the influence was the Powers That Be in their anger were trying to influence the group.

As the magic pushed and drew magic from the three and the others inside the wards it wiped the darkened taint from the Seal of Danzalthar and purified the power of the blood within Angel. It drew on these powerful inclusions of the wards as well strengthening the wards beyond what would be otherwise. The upper limit of the wards was not capped as there was no need to, this made the wards exponentially more powerful than they were thought to be.

As the wards pushed the influence and pull the power it tore away completely from the darkened influence of the world. And the entire house shook violently for a brief moment, though it was less of a quake than the earthquake the day before.

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End Book One Re-edited Un-beta'd 06-03 2012 Edited again 04/24/2014


End file.
